![]() Even its name, “downy,” sounds small, like a kid’s squeaky toy. The key to identifying the Downy Woodpecker is the size. Sorting out which bird is which is totally doable, with just a few hints…and a bit of practice. (You would think at least one of them would have gone for the paisley look.) No worries, though. These two different species are dressed in nearly identical outfits. But for some reason, there was a total lack of imagination when the Hairy and Downy were invented. Of our state’s seven species of resident woodpeckers, five species (Red-Headed, Red-bellied, Pileated, Northern Flicker and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker) look nothing alike and could easily be picked out of a lineup. This is probably more info about our woodpecker history than you wanted to know, but when you write your eventual doctorial thesis on this very topic, you’ll thank me. This has resulted in the re-growth of the forests and the return of woodpeckers. In reality, woodpeckers don’t much care for pastures, green or otherwise.) In more recent times, farming and lumbering have become less important to the local economy. (BTW, Ethan, “greener pastures” is just an expression old people use. They were eventually forced to leave the Bay State for greener pastures. Without trees, woodpeckers had nothing to peck on. Early settlers had cut down all the forests for lumber or to create farmland. A few centuries ago, trees, and therefore woodpeckers, were in short supply. Conversely, if you aren’t a woodpecker fan, you might want to travel back to the Colonial era. Are the kids in fifth grade still wearing paisley shirts? I’m sure they are, because that’s one fashion that will never go out of style…at least it hasn’t for me.Īnyone who likes woodpeckers is living in the right time period. Since you weren’t even alive when I first wrote about Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers, I’ve decided to write you a fresh column. ![]() That’s before you were born and back when I was in the fifth grade…or not. After checking my files, it turned out that I actually wrote that particular column in 2002, sixteen years ago. But then I discovered my idea of “recently” was a bit off. When I first received your note I was simply going to send you a copy of a column that I had recently written on this very topic. I’m not sure which one we have in our yard. Right now my biggest challenge is trying to identify a Downy Woodpecker from a Hairy Woodpecker. I’m a new bird watcher who is particularly interested in woodpeckers.
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