Red-Bellied Woodpecker Sighting

I just happen to see the red-bellied woodpecker quite often in my backyard.
I have a hanging feeder in my backyard that is always full of wild birdseed. One of the constant visitors is the red-bellied woodpecker.

They seem to really enjoy hanging feeders like these. I keep my full of fresh seeds.

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Now you might wonder, just as I have why they are called red-bellied woodpeckers when the head is red. They actually have a small red patch on the underside of their belly. This is difficult to see due to the fact that they are most always attached to the side of a tree preventing a good view of the belly.

They are always very noisy when approaching the feeder. They will make a hit and run, most of the times flying into the trees where they will eat the seeds. This one did not want his picture taken. He sat on the backside of a tree and would just peek his head around and look at me.

This particular one is a male. The male red bellied woodpecker has red all the way from the beak to the back of the head, where the females red coloration starts more towards the back of the head.

I have seen this same bird come to my bat-house ( which is now occupied by a house wren ) and examine it. He then sat on the top and chirped very loudly. I watched him as he crawled all around the outside of the box pecking as he went. He was making sure that it was empty. Later that night I took a look inside and there he was.

I often see them at my birdbath also. I happened to snap this picture just as he was flying away!

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