If it was the same size it more than likely was the hairy. Too bad there wasn't a way you could see them closer. Have you looked into some type of bird cam?
Hairy are bigger then Downy. Which is how we remember which is which, big and Hairy and small is Downy. We have more Downy here.
I took a different route to the wood yard today. The road crosses a reservoir right around the corner from it. I spotted this blue heron perched near the water. Pulled over and got out to get pics expecting it to fly away in the process. First pic when I hopped the guardrail and second was within 20' of it. Didn't think I would get that close. Most of the water was frozen over from the recent cold spell.
I couldn't really tell the size because it was blurry and the background was not conductive for comparison to hte feeder. I have no interest in a bird cam. I know which is bigger, I just couldn't see the bird's outline to tell if it was as big as the suet feeder or smaller. Since it had its back to me I could tell it had the red spot (male) and it was striped on its wings/back. It probably was a Downey, but I usually have a pair of each, so can't definitively rule out one or the other with what I could actually see. Additionally, Juvenile Hairys can be mistaken for a Downey. The bird was definitely not as big as the red bellied that I had earlier in the week. The red bellied was easier to tell because I got a full frontal view of the white belly, which helped tremendously on seeing the outline and telling how big it was compared to the feeder).
Shocked to see a junco (snowbird) on the suet this morning. IMO they are strictly ground feeders. And I figured out how to zoom on my cheapo phone.
Occasionally I will see one on a feeder - but that is the exception, not the rule though. I don't know if it shows how desperate that one is, or how smart that one is
Ms. buZZsaw looked out a little while ago and this was feeding on some old leftovers I tossed this morning.
They're just so ugly they're cute. Lol. I just looked out and caught a red headed woodpecker on the suet. First I've seen in months.
Thats neat. I wonder how often a seldom seen bird shows up when were not looking. We only see the feeders when by the kitchen sink. I was surprised to see it out during the day. Common sight after dark here.
We have a bunch of juncos here. They will primarily feed from the ground, but I will regularly see them in the platform feeder and occasionally on the thistle feeder.
Downy woodpeckers. I had a few Juncos the other day, but I can't find pic. They're on the suet pretty regular.
Northern Flicker on top and Red Bellied Woodpecker in the bottom pic. Also seeing quite a few Eastern Bluebirds but they're tough to get pics of.
Bluebirds that far north this time of year seems pretty strange to me; we usually lose them down here by October or so. Do you have them there every winter?
We do, strangely enough. They come and go all year long. Sometimes they are around for weeks, then no sight of them for awhile before showing up, several at a time.
I see bluebirds every few winters here in NH. It does seem strange, but it has become the new norm according to the UNH, the Forest Society, and NH Audubon Society. A quote from the UNH website: Eastern Bluebirds have not always remained in New Hampshire year-round. In the past, they have wintered in the Southeast United States and in Mexico. However, current information from the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology reveals a northerly shift in their range and abundance. Eastern Bluebirds are now thought to be “partial migrants.” Some birds migrate while others remain near their breeding range all winter. This has been especially true during our recent mild winters. NH Audubon has some guesses why (besides climate shift), but obviously cannot test any hypothesis. One item they note is that we have roughly twice the amount of bluebirds since 50 years ago, so maybe that has something to do with it.
I've had as many as 6-8 at a time here. My feeders are about 25 feet from the house so hard to get pics but they're frequent visitors all through out the day.
