Tales from the Garden

Woodpeckers are one of the most well-known bird species even for casual bird-watchers, perhaps because we hear them during our (and their) daily lives even if we don’t see them.  Because most woodpecker species are also pretty fearless around humans, they are some of the easiest birds to attract to a backyard suet feeder, where it’s fun to observe them in action.    The area around Arivaca is frequently visited by many different woodpecker species, and this fall and winter we’ve had Ladder-back Woodpeckers, Red-naped Sapsuckers, Gilded Flickers, Red-shafted and Yellow-shafted Northern Flickers visiting our birdbaths and feeders, along with our ever-present Gila Woodpeckers.   Besides being beautiful to watch and listen to, woodpeckers have an amazing and interesting set of “super powers”!   Woodpecker "shock absorbers" Have you ever wondered how their brain can survive all that hammering against tree trucks and other objects without getting a m...