Where Are The Downy Woodpeckers

Where Are The Downy Woodpeckers This Year

Where are the Downy Woodpeckers? I have been asking myself that for weeks. Today is winter solstice and still no Downy Woodpeckers

This is very odd because these tiny black and white woodpeckers are usually all over my suet feeders and even on the seed feeders. This year I have not seen a one, not even one in my backyard or anywhere else in my neighborhood for that matter. Nor have I had any hairy woodpeckers, although they are a little less frequent in my yard.

I have had other woodpeckers, like the Flicker come to my back yard. Although, they don’t often come down to my suet feeder. Still, they have been there.

I have also had a Red Breasted Sapsuckers and even a Pileated Woodpecker, which I have never seen here before but occasionally heard, in my front yard.

Still, I have no Downy Woodpeckers. I talked to my local bird store, and they have said that the downys are around and not to worry. But they just aren’t here. I wonder if my cats have scared them off. But they have not scared anything else off.

I have noticed that the Juncos aren’t feeding quite so much on the ground this year and are going to my feeders. The Chickadees are all here, as are the cute little Bushtits. The Hummingbirds are here continuing their Hummingbird Wars.

The best entertainment of the winter has been the Scrub Jays. (I’ll get an image of these beautiful birds soon.)  We had purchased a squirrel bungee for corn cobs. Do you think the squirrels are feeding on them? No….they very rarely go there. They prefer to raid the bird feeders. It is the jays that go after the corn and swing from the bungee. We are putting up new corn cobs for the Jays every two or three days.

This leads me to another question. Are the Scrub Jays keeping the Downy Woodpeckers away? They are pretty raucous and intimidating birds. I wonder. Only time will tell whether the downys will come to my garden this winter. I sure wish they would hurry.