Winter strikes in southern Alberta

Here is a pic of my feeders this afternoon.  So glad that I filled them on the weekend!

Had a real storm go through southern Alberta last night.  I swear we had a foot of snow on the ground this morning.  This was a shock to me, because, despite the forecast for snow, I didn't really believe that we would get a cold and wintery blast like this so early in the season.

The birds are busy at my feeders today.  No doubt they need the food to keep up their energy levels in the face of these new colder days. 

Backyard visitors - Do you have a Downy Woodpecker in your future?

According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Downy woodpeckers are the "most likely woodpecker species to visit a backyard bird feeder". In addition, their range map shows that they are are common year round across most of Canada.

I have one of these cute little guys in my yard and I find him foraging about for insects on the tree bark of some of our older trees. Downy Woodpeckers, though, will eat more than just insects. They like suet but will also eat black oil sunflower seeds, peanuts, fruit and may even sample some of the other seeds at your feeders.

A little acrobat, the Downy Woodpecker can hang from a suet cage very easily. They will travel up and down trees with ease and have similar agility to a nuthatch. They are often found among other types of birds and seem to get along with everyone.

If you want to attract Downy Woodpeckers to your backyard, have a good supply of suet available and offer pure black oil sunflower and skinless peanuts in their respective feeders.