I have been putting peanuts in a hanging basket for the Tufted Titmice to eat. But the Downey Woodpeckers have been trying to get to them. But due to their short little legs they hadn't figured out how to do it. Well today the female finally figured it out after a month of trying. She grabbed a peanut and off she went!
She will teach her young the benefits of the new cuisine. Now you have done it Captain, soon Downey woodpeckers all over the country will be after peanuts. Ornithologists will go crazy with the discovery.
That's a great shot of the female CK. So glad she managed to figure out how to get at the peanuts and that you had your camera handy when she did. :-D
I have a piece of fencing on a bracket and I put 4 peanuts in it for the woodpeckers. She got all 4 of them plus at least 2 out of the basket. She ought to be stuffed by now! I laugh at her when she is at the fence. She chips the end of the shell open, and then takes the nuts out. This leaves the shell still in the fence. You cant tell if it's full or empty until you pull it out of the fence. I have seen other birds come up and look at it and when the realize that it's empty, they fly off with a disgusted look on their face. I hope they aren't blaming me!