tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8770960028868336157.post8548258789423823924..comments2024-03-10T14:50:10.475-04:00Comments on Red House Garden: How to Tell the Difference Between a Downy Woodpecker and a Hairy WoodpeckerIndiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14004102653896371835noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8770960028868336157.post-26186204845188181962015-03-01T12:02:01.345-05:002015-03-01T12:02:01.345-05:00Yes, I got it, (due to your earlier descriptions) ...Yes, I got it, (due to your earlier descriptions) The one which visits our garden is the (Great spotted woodpecker)Alistairhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17104382970502166560noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8770960028868336157.post-16459080062746958192015-02-22T20:15:25.216-05:002015-02-22T20:15:25.216-05:00I learned about that too, while looking up differe...I learned about that too, while looking up differences for the blog post! Usually I can tell from the size or by looking at the beak, but sometimes with those strange angles, it's hard to tell and good to have a few other identifying marks!Indiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14004102653896371835noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8770960028868336157.post-17345596964848471752015-02-22T20:14:16.828-05:002015-02-22T20:14:16.828-05:00I spent one winter taking photos of birds and figu...I spent one winter taking photos of birds and figuring out what they were. It took me awhile, but now I've gotten quite into it!Indiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14004102653896371835noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8770960028868336157.post-7966233152318327072015-02-21T06:09:11.908-05:002015-02-21T06:09:11.908-05:00Nice job explaining the difference, Indie. And I l...Nice job explaining the difference, Indie. And I learned something -- didn't know about the black line through the red on the hairy woodpecker. I enjoyed participating in the GBBC very much. P. xPam's English Gardenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01359787694149174369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8770960028868336157.post-52144210039856684712015-02-18T17:37:24.975-05:002015-02-18T17:37:24.975-05:00Wow! Wonderful photos and interesting info – I mus...Wow! Wonderful photos and interesting info – I must admit I am pretty green when it comes to birds, apart from a few ones. I am not sure I have ever seen a woodpecker up-close before, lucky you having them in the garden!HELENEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16112289914239038835noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8770960028868336157.post-2451910841555987672015-02-18T08:14:39.386-05:002015-02-18T08:14:39.386-05:00I hope you got more for your count! With all the ...I hope you got more for your count! With all the blizzards we've been having, we've had a good number at the feeders. I worry about them with the cold and all the snow, though.Indiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14004102653896371835noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8770960028868336157.post-61883851931198866592015-02-18T08:13:55.406-05:002015-02-18T08:13:55.406-05:00I wonder why they don't come to the feeder at ...I wonder why they don't come to the feeder at all? I know they are shier, and you have a lot of birds at your feeders - maybe it's too many other birds for them :)Indiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14004102653896371835noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8770960028868336157.post-48446705944812132232015-02-18T08:12:24.914-05:002015-02-18T08:12:24.914-05:00Thanks! Sometimes it still takes me a bit to tell...Thanks! Sometimes it still takes me a bit to tell which is which, they look so much alike.Indiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14004102653896371835noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8770960028868336157.post-64739430894008065512015-02-18T08:11:53.443-05:002015-02-18T08:11:53.443-05:00I've had lots of Downies in both places I'...I've had lots of Downies in both places I've lived and had bird feeders. I haven't seen the Hairies nearly as often, so it's quite an event when they come :)Indiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14004102653896371835noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8770960028868336157.post-69723463369273246532015-02-18T08:10:03.496-05:002015-02-18T08:10:03.496-05:00Those Downies really do look like little baby wood...Those Downies really do look like little baby woodpeckers, don't they?! They are so cute.Indiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14004102653896371835noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8770960028868336157.post-10996322719494584732015-02-16T09:52:57.905-05:002015-02-16T09:52:57.905-05:00After reading this, now I'm wondering if what ...After reading this, now I'm wondering if what I thought I was seeing wasn't really a Downy woodpecker at all, but a Hairy Woodpecker! Great tips for telling the difference, Indie--you make it very easy to see the difference between the two. Before, I would just go by the size, which isn't that reliable if you only see one bird at a time. I'm hoping more birds come to the feeders today--my count was pretty small yesterday.Rosehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01384059342847120951noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8770960028868336157.post-21869306603575521752015-02-16T09:27:03.796-05:002015-02-16T09:27:03.796-05:00You did a nice post showing the differences Indie....You did a nice post showing the differences Indie. I only get the Downy at my feeder since they raise families behind my garage, but see the Hairy in the woods often. They are so cute and your photos are wonderful. I like the graphics too.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8770960028868336157.post-33056391359442032732015-02-15T22:09:19.985-05:002015-02-15T22:09:19.985-05:00Great post... I have both also... Michelle Great post... I have both also... Michelle Rambling Woodshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15080120317890707767noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8770960028868336157.post-58266017219065576162015-02-15T19:24:53.674-05:002015-02-15T19:24:53.674-05:00Indie what a great post....both these woodpeckers ...Indie what a great post....both these woodpeckers visited this weekend although the Downy are more numerous.Donnahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13420133886162844400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8770960028868336157.post-21954348714996914002015-02-15T16:57:44.809-05:002015-02-15T16:57:44.809-05:00This is such a perfect post, my only regret is tha...This is such a perfect post, my only regret is that I didn't have it a few years ago when we thought our downy woodpeckers, were baby Red headed woodpeckers...lol. I just couldn't find any pertinent information anywhere on them, so we kept thinking they were babies...<br /><br />Love the shots that you got!<br /><br />JenRURAL https://www.blogger.com/profile/11871803235521431504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8770960028868336157.post-8647184618295024332015-02-15T15:58:41.640-05:002015-02-15T15:58:41.640-05:00Glad it was helpful! Sometimes it is so tricky to...Glad it was helpful! Sometimes it is so tricky to tell which is which, especially if they are in the trees or at a weird angle.Indiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14004102653896371835noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8770960028868336157.post-61001571215644325992015-02-15T15:57:03.455-05:002015-02-15T15:57:03.455-05:00I only saw the Hairy Woodpeckers here for a couple...I only saw the Hairy Woodpeckers here for a couple weeks, and haven't seen them lately, so I wonder if they were just passing through. I certainly wouldn't blame them for moving out of the area to escape all the blizzards we've been getting! That's too bad you don't see too many birds in February. The middle of winter is when we need to see some sign of life out there the most, I think!Indiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14004102653896371835noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8770960028868336157.post-90501908793426261412015-02-15T15:52:50.587-05:002015-02-15T15:52:50.587-05:00So strange that it put them together for you; when...So strange that it put them together for you; when I entered in my info today, they had separate categories. Weird!Indiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14004102653896371835noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8770960028868336157.post-14841856326217671592015-02-15T14:20:04.152-05:002015-02-15T14:20:04.152-05:00Well, I got three out of four. I should have paid ...Well, I got three out of four. I should have paid better attention. I had to go back and re-read some of it. Wonderful, informative post. Now I will be able to say which one I see.debsgardenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15656883577922890561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8770960028868336157.post-79435209413969935242015-02-14T23:55:57.607-05:002015-02-14T23:55:57.607-05:00I miss these guys! They haven't been at my fee...I miss these guys! They haven't been at my feeders lately, but they're common visitors here in spring, summer, and fall. This is the time of year when we have the least number of birds overall, so the Great Backyard Bird Count would be more productive for us just about any other month than February. Oh well. It's fun to see any birds anytime. :)Beth at PlantPostingshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10473637655960119672noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8770960028868336157.post-8391828329370719392015-02-14T22:16:43.015-05:002015-02-14T22:16:43.015-05:00Great post. I've never seen a picture of downy...Great post. I've never seen a picture of downy and hairy woodpeckers together like that. Also I wasn't aware of all those differences between the species. To me the tipoff is always the general size and the beak. Have you noticed that the Great Backyard Bird Count has lumped downy and hairy woodpeckers into one reporting category? I wonder if that is because they are so commonly mistaken for each other.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8770960028868336157.post-3667916778178649512015-02-14T16:47:57.409-05:002015-02-14T16:47:57.409-05:00The woodpeckers are my favorite birds! I didn'...The woodpeckers are my favorite birds! I didn't even mind them waking me up in the morning with their tapping on my gutter on weekends :)Indiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14004102653896371835noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8770960028868336157.post-55594304686830809662015-02-14T16:47:05.923-05:002015-02-14T16:47:05.923-05:00Oh, the Red-headed ones are so beautiful! I had a...Oh, the Red-headed ones are so beautiful! I had a couple one year at my garden in North Carolina, but I haven't seen any up here yet. I love the Red-bellies too. I see them every once in a while here.Indiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14004102653896371835noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8770960028868336157.post-28786929832319480962015-02-14T16:44:55.321-05:002015-02-14T16:44:55.321-05:00Glad you liked!Glad you liked!Indiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14004102653896371835noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8770960028868336157.post-87459196002738336662015-02-14T15:25:52.524-05:002015-02-14T15:25:52.524-05:00I envy you Indie. I keep waiting for a woodpecker ...I envy you Indie. I keep waiting for a woodpecker to visit my garden. They are so beautiful.Denisehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14883576149835739996noreply@blogger.com