Winter Friends

When it is getting cold,  the winter birds stop by here.

Chestnut-backed Chickadee:  "I am one of them."😄

"I 'm busy checking my back.  Guess who I am."☺️

Ruby-crowned Kinglet:  "I am back.  I like your suet."😍

Answer:  #2 photo is Red-breasted Sapsucker.  Maybe once a year, I may see him in my backyard.  

Rare Visitor

Once in a long while, during the cold months, I saw a Red-breasted Supsucker on a tree here.  But today was different.

"Hi, I am thirsty. My throat is dried up. Let me drink water here."

"Did you see me before?"

Drilling My Way

During the cold months, a few times I have seen a Red-breasted Sapsucker.  Last week, I saw one on a cedar tree.

"I like to drink this sap."

The reverse light is good for silhouettes, but not for a regular photo.

"Drilling hard....  I also like to find a bug."

Drilling is My Task.

Early afternoon on my magnolia tree, I have seen a Red-breasted Sapsucker a few times.   This time it came and started drilling onto the magnolia tree.

Can you see the drilled holes going around the tree trunk?  Was the bird drinking the sap or eating the bugs below the bark?

As you can see, the light is not ideal for a photo shooting.  The bird likes to come here when the sun is behind the other trees to hide him better.

"I have made all these holes!"

"I am stuck close to the tree so that you can not see me well."

New Year’s Greeting from a Rare Visitor

Early in the morning the sun was out.  Something reddish moved in the shaded area near the camelia bush and the evergreen.  It was a rare visitor to my delight.  

"Late New Year's Greeting to you!  I like the bugs
around here.  I may show up more often."

Unexpected Visitor

Today was cloudy with 50% chance of rain.  The grey sky does not make an impressive photo.   Nonetheless, as I was watching birds coming to eat at the backyard feeders, I noticed something red moved between the branches at the neighbor's tall maple tree.  Who could it be?


No time to well adjust the camera setting, but I managed to take a few shots.   Look at this red headed bird!!!

"Hi,  it's my first time to get down here. 

I am a Red-breasted Sapsucker."

One of my bird books, "Birds of Oregon," tells me that it is the most common sapsucker in western Oregon, but usually stays in higher elevations.  No wonder.  A few years ago, I've seen one at top of a far away tall tree.  But till today, I have not seen one in my backyard.  Their food are insects, tree sap, and berries.  A male and a female look alike; a juvenile lacks any red.


After the neighbor's maple, it swished to my cedar tree to inspect for any bugs by climbing up and down.

"If I can find enough bugs, I may come back."