hsapiens: strutting human skeleton (RDA -- w/ Whiskey the Lucky Dog)
hsapiens ([personal profile] hsapiens) wrote2010-05-23 09:35 am

Ideas for feeding woodpeckers?

Anyone know of anything vegetarian I could put out to feed woodpeckers?

I know, I know: they're insectivores. But there's a gorgeous woodpecker that's hanging out in my backyard, eying the seed and peanuts I put out for the birds and squirrels. I want to encourage him to hang around but I'm not willing to go the suet or beef tallow route.

Ideas? Obviously, I want something stable in our heat/humidity because I don't want to kill the little guy.
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[identity profile] tejas.livejournal.com 2010-05-23 04:32 pm (UTC)(link)
He's probably after the bugs feasting on the bird food.

What kind of woodpecker is he?

Oh! Go to Lowe's. I think they have woodpecker feeders.
Edited 2010-05-23 16:33 (UTC)
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[identity profile] hsapiens.livejournal.com 2010-05-23 05:27 pm (UTC)(link)
Nothing uncommon, just a little red-bellied woodpecker. His head is almost neon red. He's very pretty. :) (I also have a pair of hawks that visit every once in a while - that's unusual for Houston. And there's the raccoon that occasionally gets treed by the neighbor dog; not so unusual.)

Lowe's, eh? I'll have to check that out. I've been loathe to pay for feeders because the squirrels destroy them. I prefer to just throw the food out, widely dispersed, so that no one species can dominate. The jays swoop in for peantus, the doves mob, the cardinals bring their two fledglings, the chickadees pick around the edges, the gray squirrels and fox squirrels nap on the trellis tops between meals. It's very Disney-esque.

I'm betting that it's the ground feeding that is defeating my little woodpecker friend.
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[identity profile] tejas.livejournal.com 2010-05-23 05:37 pm (UTC)(link)
Most likely.

Red tailed hawks are pretty common in town. They even nest in Manhattan. Sorta the raccoons of the bird world - they love human habitations. :-)

Our screech owls seem to have moved on. They were dive bombing people. No hurting anyone, but freaking people out. :-) My kid got some video of them doing their "I see you" thing from high up in the trees. :-) The baby was very cute, though. All fuzzy and fluffy sitting with mom and dad and whoever the other two were. :-)
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[identity profile] hsapiens.livejournal.com 2010-05-23 06:06 pm (UTC)(link)
Mine are red-shouldered hawks. :) As if birds that visit once a month at most are "mine." Surprised the hell out of me when the squirrels approached them. I thought for sure I was going to witness the circle of life. Guess the hawks were recently fed.

I would love to have some owls except they'd imperil my dog and that's not good. He'd probably lose an eye to one. :( I wish something that liked to eat mice would move a little closer to my house. Since they tore down the woods behind me to build a big private school, I've had trouble with mice looking to move in with me. Didn't have that problem back when the hawk population was just over the fence.

Our nabe is also rich with bats, which makes me VERY happy. I love anything that eats mosquitoes.
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[identity profile] tejas.livejournal.com 2010-05-23 06:13 pm (UTC)(link)
Wow! Yeah, red shouldered hawks aren't all that common around here.

Our owls were the small screeches (one would fit in your cupped hands, easily) and likely wouldn't approach your dog at all. They're bug eaters, though they'll eat frogs and small fish, too. Not much into mice, or so I've read. I bet they'd eat them, if they were there, though. ;-)

Who knows, they might be heading your way. :-)
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[identity profile] hsapiens.livejournal.com 2010-05-23 06:27 pm (UTC)(link)
I was shocked when I went to look them up and realized they weren't the usual.

Awwww...they sound adorable! I would have loved to see them. They're welcome so long as they don't pose a threat to my dog. He's not the brightest bulb in the candelabra and he can neither see nor hear well, so I'm a bit overprotective these days.

I want mice eaters! When they get in the house, I have to capture them and release them into the arboretum. It's a pain. Although, my dog of diminished capacities did manage to capture and kill the last one. Not a fun clean up. :|

However, even if they don't eat mice they're welcome to come hang out and screech at me. And if they ever wanted a peanut, this is the Land of Plenty.
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[identity profile] tejas.livejournal.com 2010-05-23 06:33 pm (UTC)(link)
LOL!!!

You need a cat indoors. :-)
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[identity profile] hsapiens.livejournal.com 2010-05-23 06:34 pm (UTC)(link)
I used to and she did catch the snake that got in one day. THAT was a bloody mess. All over the place. To top it off? The snake was mauled but not dead. Fun times.
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[identity profile] tejas.livejournal.com 2010-05-23 06:36 pm (UTC)(link)
LOL! Check out the strays in your neighborhood. They're used to hunting and then eating their kills. There's a semi-feral cat around there who would love to move in and do his or her part to keep the house pest free. :-)
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[identity profile] hsapiens.livejournal.com 2010-05-23 06:40 pm (UTC)(link)
She was a feral! I think I'd interrupted her fun and games because the snake was mortally wounded and clearly on death's door. There was blood all over the dining room, the hall, and one of the bedrooms.
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[identity profile] tejas.livejournal.com 2010-05-23 06:45 pm (UTC)(link)
Wow! The closest I've ever come to something like that was when one idiot brought in a live bird.

The battle was epic.

The clean up sucked.
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[identity profile] hsapiens.livejournal.com 2010-05-23 06:48 pm (UTC)(link)
Egads! Poor you. Poor bird. :( And I imagine the cat could not figure out why you didn't think it was all Good Times.
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[identity profile] tejas.livejournal.com 2010-05-23 06:52 pm (UTC)(link)
There were three of them after it. They got it before I did, which was probably just as well since it was likely mortally wounded before it got away inside.

No, they didn't seem to grasp my dismay.
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[identity profile] hsapiens.livejournal.com 2010-05-23 06:56 pm (UTC)(link)
GAH! That sounds like an epic battle, all right. :|