Woodpeckers on a warm autumn day

Today was a fantastic day for watching woodpeckers from my living room window on the Sycamore Creek. A few chores and an ailment kept me from my usual walk. However, the view from the perch inside was good.

One woodpecker sat eye-ball-to-eyeball with me for a fleeting moment before I could position my camera for a great photograph. I stuck with the viewing.

As the day warmed up from the high 40 degrees and into the 70's, the insect population must have taken the cue to do what insects do on the last warm days before winter. I suspect that they burrow in and shut down. On a day like this one, they are in a state of active feeding.

The woodpeckers instinctively know this. Their keen sense of hearing and ability to feel vibrations set them into a feeding frenzy of their own.  Other birds, like chickadees and warblers, are drawn into the action.

My knowledgeable birder friends tell me that this will be over soon and that the woodpeckers and others will take wing to seek warmer weather. While the birds are still with us, I will watch with enthusiasm.

Flying from place to place

Roosting for a short moment

Pecking