What Can I Wreck Today?

I've never been so exasperated with a bird as I have been with this hairy woodpecker. That should really be woodpeckers in he plural, because there are (at least) two of them. Woodpeckers are one of my favorite families of birds and I've always been delighted when they visit the bird feeders. Until now.

We had a tube feeder directly outside our kitchen window that we filled with black oil sunflower seeds. The birds loved them - there was a constant stream (depending on the time of year) of goldfinches, chickadees, nuthatches, purple finches, rose-breasted grosbeaks - and yes - woodpeckers. We've been feeding the birds like this for over a year and they are delightful.

Now I don't know what has got into the hairy woodpeckers all of a sudden, but recently they have taken to emptying the seeds from the feeder directly onto the ground by pecking continuously at the dispensing hole. It's as if they are looking for the one perfect seed in the whole tube (and not finding it). It's not even clear that they eat any of them. What's more, they act with astonishing speed - I timed one at 10 minutes to empty half a tube. And when two of them get going it's hopeless - the seeds are flying every which way. Compare this with the red-headed woodpecker who will fly over to the feeder, carefully select one seed and take it back to his tree for consumption.

I can only imagine that the hairy guys have made a pact with the chipmunks down below. Chasing them away doesn't help, they are back within minutes, always announcing their arrival with a loud 'cheep'. It was funny at first, but frankly, it's unsustainable, and we have reluctantly replaced the sunflower seeds with thistle, which the goldfinches are OK with, but doesn't attract nearly so many species. The hairy woodpeckers are now exiled to the tray feeder on the balcony which they haven't managed to wreck yet. (I know, give them time.)

Anyway. I'm pleased with the new camera, which did a very nice job capturing a hairy woodpecker portrait - including what I think is a slightly evil expression on his face. Bad bird.