I was just sitting here watching the TapOut show on Vs and decided to go ahead and make another blog entry.  If nothing else, it will bring a little balance to my karma since I have managed to sit through two UFC shows, a WEC show before the TapOut show… okay okay, I’m a MMA junkie, but having spent a number of years on the mats and striking the bags, it tends to stick with you.  So what better way to compensate than to add an entry on my fluffy friend(s) the Downy Woodpecker.

There are two twins (one male and one female) that have been visiting my feeders from the first day I put them up.  Actually, I have had the privilege of watching them slowly mature and they feel like an adopted part of the family.  Here is a baby picture of the male:

Both of them are very laid back and have never been aggressive to other birds or care if there are other birds feeding at the same time.  They did struggle a little bit at first because they couldn’t figure out how to actually get at the seeds on the big feeder.  They would latch onto the side and keep pecking at the side.  The female was the first to understand how to use the openings and then eventually the male figured it out.  Here is the female as a baby really submerging herself in the feeding process:

They really look like cotton balls which led to me naming them the Fluffy Twins.  Another interesting thing is they do not seem to care which feeder they feed from.  Sometimes they take the finch food, other times they take the big boy seeds.  The next picture shows the male a little older but still working on the final colorings etc.

Here they are a little more crisp and like his sister, he figured out the feeder holes.

This shows the markings pretty good on the female, although it does show their early problems of trying to get the seed through the mesh instead of the opening.  They could be snatching up any insects that are walking on the mesh, but it was too far away to actually verify that.

As I mentioned previously, they both feed from both the large bird feeder (filled with sunflower seeds, corn etc. as well as the finch feeder.  This one shows the male feeding on the finch food and shows him growing up a little bit more.

The next image I like because it has the female in her natural setting.  I hope they do not become dependent on my feeders for sustenance. … they need to keep the bugs down out here.

These two birds really do not have any concerns about any other bird or for the record me.  I went to fill the feeders once and one minute after getting the ropes in place the male was back and gorging on the fresh food.  I walked around a bit and was able to get a pretty good view of the markings and eating habits without disturbing him one bit.  The other birds almost always stay away until I have returned to the house (or at least out of view).

Well, time to wrap this up… the TapOut guy from Crystal Lake IL, just won so time to hit the sack.  To close out this long set (can you tell their one of my favorites) I give a shot of both of the twins… this was taken when they were younger and still trying to figure out how to get the food.

If they keep coming around as they get older, I’ll to update with additional pictures.