Most mornings I enjoy having my first cup of coffee outside with the birds and other wild things that come to my feeding station. Some mornings there isn’t too much to see and others it’s a wild ride. Sometimes there is one bird or species of bird (or occasionally the squirrels) that dominates the show while other days there are quite a few types of birds that come down, there may be insects, and as the weather warms up, reptiles and amphibians. This morning the red bellied woodpeckers (Melanerpes carolinus) really dominated everything. They weren’t the only ones there, but they were by far the noisiest, most active, and most interactive. Both the male and the female were around, both were hungry, and both came in and out of the feeding area several times. After filling themselves up, stashing some food for later, and doing some flirting, the male decided he needed to preen his feathers and kept repeatedly yawning during the process. Then he did a few scratches and itches, and settled down for about a ten minute nap. It wasn’t really a nap, like we would take, sound asleep, but more like fluffing himself and relaxing, but with some constant level of vigilance. After his brief respite the female returned and the two of them were off again all over the back of the property searching for just the right place to start a nest.

How do you like to start your day?