Easily Attract the Red-bellied Woodpecker with These Simple Tips
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 12 มิ.ย. 2024
- It’s really easy to attract Red-bellied Woodpeckers when things are set up in the right way. This Bird of North America can be found mainly in the eastern United States but recently their numbers have been increasing and also have been expanding their range to the West and North Surprising some backyard birdwatchers.
🔴Red-bellied Woodpecker overview video ▶️ • A Red-bellied Woodpeck...
Timestamps:
00:00 Increasing their numbers and range
00:44 Mimicking what they eat in the wild
00:55 Mealworms and Suet
01:09 Type of Suet feeders they like
01:28 DIY Suet log
01:45 Types of fruit,nuts and seeds they like
02:08 More types of feeders they like
02:14 Nectar water (Hummingbird and Oriole feeders)
02:29 Sugar water recipe
02:44 Grape jelly and precautions
03:07 Other options when you can't use feeders
03:51 A good reason to attract woodpeckers
04:15 Red-bellied Woodpecker full overview link
A lot of the videos were provided by a great TH-cam channel that's worth checking out
Birds Walking Down
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Woodpecker by Wendy Koert via canva.com/pro
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Common Questions people have:
What does a Red-bellied Woodpecker look like
How to Attract a Red-bellied Woodpecker
Why is it called the Red-bellied Woodpecker
What type of bird food for a Red-bellied Woodpecker
What type of bird feeder does a Red-bellied Woodpecker like
What is the best thing to feed woodpeckers?
How do you encourage woodpeckers?
What do Red-bellied Woodpeckers like to eat?
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🔴Red-bellied Woodpecker overview video ▶th-cam.com/video/zpkNysY7V7Q/w-d-xo.html
Love it when interesting bird species increase their range naturally. In South Africa we have Thick-billed Weavers that use to be limited to the coast in KwaZulu-Natal but today they have moved west into suburban gardens and what sets them apart is they have no natural fear of humans which I find very bizarre. Great video this one ✅
I have a pair that live full time in my area, I’m surround by forest area with lots of dead trees. Everyday I hear them in tree and along with bluejays wait for me to leave peanuts then it’s battle of who gets tho the peanuts. They love suets and yep drink the hummingbird water. Such a fun bird to watch.
I keep dead tree trunks at about 8-10 feet tall to attract woodpeckers of all kinds. The trees only come down when I can push them over with my hand, lol.
Wait a minute....I was going to say pretty much the exact same thing. A pair who visit all day long only ten feet from my porch, and not only do I read your comment, but we share the same last name! How cool!
I have a couple of Red-bellied Woodpeckers that visit my feeders, they love the suet cakes and yes they do like the sugar water in the humming bird feeders !!! Really cool bird. Also have the Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers that come to the feeder, the Downey is used to me and will eat the suet cake while I am holding it in my hand. That just makes my day !!!
Downy woodpeckers are really adorable little birds. Sweet about them feeding from your hand.
@@LesleytheBirdNerd they sure are🥰
@@LesleytheBirdNerd do red beilled woodpeckers eat safflower 🤔
Thank you for this video. I am loving having these woodpeckers at my feeders. This year they had babies and brought them to the feeders. Unlike most birds, the babies didn't look anything like their parents for the longest time! The adolescents are so entertaining and watching them develop their adult colors is so incredible.
Suet has opened up a new world of birding. We've noticed so many woodpeckers now that we never got before, and even some surprises like a mockingbird that seems to like it :)
We have two that live in our yard and visit our deck to eat. They are such beautiful birds! I’m truly lucky to have them.
yes you are! I would love to have them in my area :)
Lesley, love your posts on TH-cam.I’m a huge bird lover myself. Started when I saw a Downy in one of my Beauty Bushes. Got a couple of suet feeders and it brought them right in. Then the Hairy woodpeckers showed up. Shortly after that, a Red Bellied male showed up. A week later he brought his mate and they both take a suet feeder. Early this year I saw a Northern Flicker on the ground in my garden area. He soon found the suet feeders. A week or so later I looked out and saw 2 males and a female. Eventually the female paired with one of them. They feed regularly in the early morning and later in the evening. They didn’t show up for several weeks, then began feeding 3 and 4 times a day. I knew what was coming and about 8 or 10 weeks later, they brought their new brood along (2 of them). “Mom and Dad would feed while the youngsters watched from the patio about 10 feet away. The male and female would bring food down to them. It has been a very rewarding experience watching the youngsters grow to near full size. I have neighbors and relatives that stop over just to watch the birds. It’s great and I get some great tips from your posts. Thanks much and keep up the great work. Ed ( also a bird nerd)
We’ve had one hanging around for the past few weeks and s/he seems to really like the suet feeder!
This is the first time ever I’ve had a pair in my back yard and I’ve really enjoyed having them. So far, they don’t seem to care for the suet cakes, but I just got a fruit, nut and seed cake I’m going to try. Thanks for the tip about the “tail prop”! That just might be what’s missing. Thanks for another great video! 🙂
Happy birding Leslie!! I always try to keep an eye out for woodpeckers in my birdly travels! They are all so special
I ❤ the woodpeckers that come around my yard. I often see a mix of downy, hairy and these red-bellied woodpeckers around my property. They're fans of the natural food in the trees around my house as well as the sunflower seeds and suet cakes in the feeders. They're such fun birds to watch!
I've always had several of these woodpeckers largely because I feed peanuts to squirrels. Lately I've been able to lay a peanut on top of my wooden post and they will come for it while I'm just three feet away. It's amazing to watch them up close! I feel so fortunate to gain their trust!
I like the grape jam suggestion, and will put some out for these little guys. Curious to see who else is attracted!
I have had RBW feed on oranges that I left out for Orioles. Fortunate to have a pair nearby with gen 1 and gen 2 offspring passong through.
Strangely, I have not had successn with mealworm. I would love to attract Pileateds though lol. I have RBW, Downys and Hairys all feeding off suet but only get Pileated very randomly or passing through to inspect the trees and not the suet feeders
I see many of these types of woodpeckers in Connecticut, USA. The woodpeckers seems to show up especially this time of year.
I see woodpeckers more so this time of year too. Neat birds
I love red-bellies
I love my woodpeckers! Beautiful!
Thanks 🙏 for these can-do tips, Lesley! I love these characters. I’m so proud to support my fun, feathery neighbors. ❤
What a beautiful bird! I wish we had them on the west coast. I feed a range of birds, and my woodpeckers love suet. Flickers are my favorite, they are beautiful and funny at the same time. One female seems to dominate the extended family group. She bumps the others off the feeders, and they do a strange dance and call routine. A few days ago I saw a Hairy woodpecker drinking out of my hummingbird feeder, something I'd never seen before.
OH LESLIE!!! @Leslie the Bird Nerd it's Grandma Sherry the bird gazer!! You answered my question about the red-bellied woodpecker that I grew up with. I even found one with a broken wing and took it to a veterinarian in our neighborhood Who used tongue depressors to make a little cast and did not give it much hope. But I grew up with all my relatives telling me it was a red-headed woodpecker. When I became a murderer and started getting to a larger variety of birds I realize that is not the case. Then I thought it was the downy woodpecker and I found out I have both. But my female woodpecker Peg has a nest every year and my backyard in the dead tree. She comes and hangs on the side of my cement post and takes my cats dry kibble to feed her babies! I always hear her call before she shows up and I've gotten a few pictures of her. I love her coming around and she ignored my suet in order to eat the kitty kibble. I even had the pleasure of seeing her one baby get fed by her. Catch you later I'm going to go watch the long video about them!!!
Hey, you! :D I'm so glad this video helped you know who the bird was. So many people call them red-headed woodpeckers and it's so easy to see why. :) What a sweet thing you did for that Woodpecker with the broken wing. How wonderful about you getting to see Peg's baby, those are precious moments. Hope you enjoyed the longer video on them. Have a great night
They have such cute little voices, they bring me such joy.
The calls they make are so nostalgic to me. ☺️
One of my favorite visitors. There's a pair that visit my feeders frequently. Big Red, and Lady Red. They recently had a little one (Baby Red) and it's been a joy watching them. Keep up the good work 👍.
One of my favorite birds! I find them in river bottom lands in the wild a lot in the winter here mainly in Pin Oak flats munching on acorns...nice video!!!
I have found that these beautiful birds will also dive from the trees to retrieve peanuts in the shell when I toss them from my back porch. I love their calls.
Thanks Lesley for your bird videos. Good to see you posted after the nearby hurricane the other week.
Two red bellied visit my sunflower seed feeder often - one female and one male. They are adorable!!!
I love red bellied woodpeckers
Excellent video as usual! Red bellied woodpeckers are so fun to watch- such characters!😄
Thank you
@@LesleytheBirdNerd lovely birds 🥰
Today I learned birds like oranges and jelly for treats. Thanks, Lesley!!
This magnificent beauty is a personal favorite! I've been blessed with a male/female pair who seem to have made the woods in my backyard their home.
Oh what a privilege to be able to watch these silly beautiful woodpeckers up close! It is PURE JOY to see them often visiting my feeders, or enjoying a meal on my deck... even if it means digging down thru several inches of snow to get to the handfulls of seed I simply TOSS out there during "brisk" wintery weather when I can't get to my feeders. I've also spotted them together on my deck, enjoying what seems to be a few minutes of "sunbathing!"
The male has even hopped onto the brick stoop of my glass deck door &... altho he's likely only curious about his own reflection... I like to think he's watching for me thru the glass & just stopped to say Hello!
Such lovely friends... there are many, many reasons these dear, silly, exquisite beauties are a favorite.💕💕💕
They sounds like such a fun bird, I bet I'd love them. I bet that the male does watching for you, he knows where the foods come from :)
Thanks for the tips! I hear and see red bellies all the time, but they rarely stop by our backyard. Surprisingly, I have been seeing them most on our streetlights (concrete). Sometimes picking at something (like a snail shell), other times just gazing around.
What a fun, informative video! I love watching red-bellied woodpeckers eat apples from our trees.
Funny coincidence, just had one visit my pumpkin suet feeder
Fantastic birds, I've got two or three that are regulars. Thanks Leslie and Happy birding to you as well!
This is my favorite backyard bird!! I have a pair that are always in my yard… they keep to themselves mostly, but seem to get along well with everyone… they’re sweet. I have thought of naming them, but haven’t found anything suitable yet….
Another great video!
Very cool! Id love to have these around my area. Hope you find some names for them.
We've no problem attracting a pair of "Ziggy Stardusts" year round for 2 years now. Suet & peanut pieces are their daily favorite target, but just yesterday I saw one pulling black oil sunflower seed from a "squirrel buster" seed feeder. All our feed is from Menards or Farm & Fleet, good prices. They love to forage & climb our tall maples surrounding our small urban village house. They're the most skittish birds of all we attract, quickly fleeing from our kitchen sink window vantage point at our slightest movement as they feed two feet from the window. Oddly, I've never seen them take water like all our other species do all day long.
I had one but he took off and I haven’t seen him since. Right now I have a lot of doves. Insects are hard to find with no rain.
One of the best birds...... one used to roost in a birdhouse my brother built or my sister and family, but it did not nest in it. This was before breeding season. It would come in when the sun was going down then leave at sunup.
We have 4 different woodpeckers in our yard including this beauty!
I saw my first one at my feeder last year. It was here for several days. I was thrilled.
Can't say I've ever seen one, but hopefully soon. Yes, Woodpeckers make my day!
Good luck to you
I love your videos, they're so peaceful and calming :-) My parents' deck sees many different birds like sparrows, cardinals and bluejays, but now I will keep a sharper eye out for the woodpeckers, since we have plenty of those in our area.
Love the flickers red bellies and downies
I'm in coastal Massachusetts. We never had these kind of woodpeckers until just a few years ago, or at least none that I saw. Now we have two pair year-round. I can tell the males and females apart, so I call them Artie and Pippi. Thanks, Lesley, for telling us about all the kinds of food they like - I never would have guessed sugar water and jam. I'm also going to make a suet log- looks like fun. Though I'll of course have to bring it indoors at night or Jabba the Coon will be sure to grab it.
I'm still waiting for the day a Red-bellied comes my way :) What an awesome woodpecker. I love the names you picked for your pair, too cute! The suet log is really easy, have fun.
One of our favorite birds! Although it earned a special nickname from me.... We have an in-the-window feeder, and my sweetie makes sure it's well-stocked with, among other things, suet during the winter. Our red-bellies will arrive at the crack of dawn and begin banging away at the suet. And since this window feeder is in our bedroom, they invariably wake me up long before I'd care to be. Thus I dubbed them the Greater Hammering Bastards (not to be confused with the Lesser Hammering Bastards, the downy woodpeckers who also like early-morning suet). :) Love your channel, thanks!
Hahaha too funny. I think I a few a them too ;) Thanks for the nice comment
pretty birds
Some are residents here and I enjoy hearing them.
Woodpeckers😋
Thanks for confirming that they can drink the hummingbird water. I was worried as I didn’t know that this is OK for them to consume. I have a few in my backyard in the Connecticut suburbs if you ever want to see and just drive down to New England and I’m sure you’ll be able to spot them most anywhere, thanks for a thoughtful video again. I would call them white spotted woodpecker’s.
I had a pair visit for a few weeks. I miss them!
Hope they come back 🙂
I have a couple that lives in my area and I see them both just about every day coming to the suet feeder or to peanuts on the porch railing. They are so beautiful and the red on their heads is so vibrant
I love these guys!
Those are my favorite woodpeckers
I enjoy your bird videos. I live next to thousands of acres of a timber Forrest. And I can assure you that there is no shortage of wood peckers. We have at least three different varieties here. Besides them I for two years in a row had a family of flying squirrels use one of my blue bird boxes to raise its young. Really cool.
We have a few here. Its great watching them. They even get loud if there favorite suet feeder goes empty..lol
I hear them often and finally caught one on camera this past week at my feeders. Such a beautiful bird! Plan to take a log and create a nice feeding spot for them.
Can’t say I’ve seen one of these beauties around my yard here in CT. My back yard is pretty much a wooded area with standing dead oaks, etc… although I have a quite a few pileated woodpecker‘s back up in those woods…. I’ll have to try your tips out and see how that goes…. Thank You…
I have one for the first time this year! I quickly ordered a suet feeder, and saw her watching sadly from the fence (no tears :) ). More research….needs a tail prop. Another order for a suet feeder with a tail prop. Still awaiting delivery, but I just watched her eat from the original suet cage by curling her body around the bottom. Perhaps I’m spoiling the birds? Lol
My many tufted titmouse (titmice?) will eat as much as I put out. They must burn so many calories in the cold because they only take one seed, fly away, come back in 2 seconds, and on and on. When many of them do this it’s quite a feeding/flying frenzy. So cute!
I am in Mississippi and have quite a few woodpeckers that frequent my feeders. The red-belly was here a couple hours ago. I also have red-heads, pileated, and northern flickerS. In addition I have either downy or hairy. I cannot tell which it is. And love them all!
As always, I loved this video! I live in SW Florida, and have these little guys coming daily to my feeders. I love watching them !❤️
Thank you, Leslie! We have a red-headed (what you call red-bellied but the red is on his HEAD!) woodpecker in the trees in our backyard. I’ve been so pleased he’s come to our deck to snitch the peanuts we put out for the blue jays! He’s very quick and shy, though…
Get a good bird book you will enjoy it
It will tell you the difference between red headed and red bellied woodpeckers
They taste delicious too
I love the sound woodpeckers make tapping on the trees.....magical and calming.
I have four species in my yard ,but was pleasantly surprised to see a Pileated come to my window feeder.
There are several red-bellied woodpeckers that are regulars at my feeders - mostly going for the suet. I've named one female Peanut Girl because all she wants are the peanuts mixed in with the rest of the birdseed. She throws away everything else, digging around until she finds a peanut. She snags one and then flies off to enjoy her prize. Maybe 20 minutes later she returns to repeat the process.
Sounds just like my red bellies ! They kick almost all the other seed out of the feeders just to get the peanuts !
We have one here that is feeding with the other birds. I absolutely love seeing it take the seeds into the trees . It makes a lot of trips. I think he or she is going to stay.
I used sugar water for years for hummingbirds but now I use Sweet Nectar by Sweet Seed because it has sugar plus wildflower hydrosois, electrolytes and calcium for their eggs! They love it!
Thanks Lesley! I enjoy watching your channel and learning about all the birds I love.
❤️💜💚
Glad you like them!
I love my Red Bellies. I like the idea about the suet log. I might give that a try.
Love these birds. They'll pretty much eat any kind of seed or suet I put out.
Oh I’m 100% making a suet log this weekend!
We just made a bird pond and they’re using it! Oh my lord we’ve had so much fun this summer with our birds. We just moved in June 13th and although I’m still next to the mountains of East Tennessee I’m not actually IN the Smokies anymore and I get to leave my feeders out year round. I’ve had every single warbler, vireo, and thrush that passes through here or lives here this summer and fall with the exception of golden winged, blue winged, and cerulean warblers but I did see several ceruleans this year. I feel bad for people who don’t pay attention to birds. I love them so much that even living amongst bears my whole life…the thing most people come here to see…I’d rather just sit with my camera and watch these little guys who follow the stars to their winter homes and breeding grounds. I just about can’t say they follow the stars without crying lol
I hope you have fun with making the suet log, it's so easy and my birds, and the squirrels love it, haha! I hear you about enjoying watching the birds and photographing them. They are so fun, beautiful and interesting. Not to mention that you really never know what you will see them doing. The best animals :)
One came to the tree out front where I was feeding the birds some peanuts she was gorgeous 😍 I live in CT suburbs
They really love shelled peanuts.
I have several species of woodpeckers that come to the trees behind my home. The most abundant are the Red-Bellied and the Downy Woodpeckers. One species I see on rare occasions is the Pileated Woodpecker, but only for a moment when one does show up. It seems that one tree - yes, just ONE tree - is used as a brief resting spot now and then, and it never stays long at all.
Last year, a Northern Flicker nested in a birch tree along the creek, but it could never leave the nest for more than a minute at a time, as a blue jay would always head for the nest as soon as the Flicker left the tree.
You're the best, Lesley!
They love my trees!
I have little holes all over my them!!
One of my favorite birds 💘
Awesome bird, love to see them around my house. Kinda silly when they clang on a nearby transformer on a power line.
Very beautiful
I just saw my first Red Belly at my Blue Jay feeder today. Well, it’s mostly Jays, but I get quite a few Tufted Titmouse’s and the occasional Cardinal. I only put out peanuts 🥜, but recently started putting out sunflower 🌻 seeds. The woodpecker was sitting on the platform alongside a blue jay 🤷♂️
Wait til the red bellies start showing up more and scare the blue jays away. The blue jays will divebomb the red bellies but they'll return the favor by pecking the blue jays off the feeders !
Love the idea of making your own suet feeder! Great video 😊
I have a pair that stayed all this summer and show up each day fir the peanuts I put out .the male comes within 15 feet me. Great birds to watch .when I am outside working he will come by and start to squawk, till I stop n give him a peanut. Live them.
No Red Bellies in my neighborhood in the Seattle area but I have Downys, Hairys, Flickers and Piliated that all appreciate Oranges....I cut them up to fit into a suet cage. Added bonus is the oranges attract fruit flies for the hummers.
I just one today, absolutely gorgeous!
They really like peanuts at my house ,we have a whole flock that live in our long needle pine. I am guessing around 20 of them , we love them.
I get downey woodpeckers often but the other day i had a red bellied woodpecker at my feeder. First time so i had to look it up then your video came out. Thank you so much. (I live 1.5 hours east of Ottawa, Canada)
My mistake, i live 1.5 hours WEST of Ottawa
Mine come to a hanging tray for peanuts, which they greedily fight the blue jays and squirrels for. After the starlings took over, I took the feeder down and put up a grape jelly feeder for the orioles.
What’s really interesting is the number of birds that also like jelly. House finches and cardinals really like it, and at least one male red bellied woodpecker has discovered it as well. The starlings and squirrels, however, don’t seem interested.
So pretty 🐦 🦜 🦚 🪶 🦢 🐦
let everything that has breath praise the Lord 🎶 🎵
Texas Nana 🤠
Psalm 91
I've had the same red belly come to my window for over a year now. For a brief period during the spring/summer there was a female, although I don't know if they were a pair. If I leave peanuts visible inside my window, the woodpecker will occasionally peck at the glass to let me know they are on the wrong side - usually 30 minutes after sunrise. 😃
The many I have eat the suite chili pepper spicy from walmart,,they love it and the squirrels don't steal it ,,,they make a lot of noise 😋
Love your channel, Lesley! We had one of these gorgeous birds in our birdbath in Beverly, MA (in a semi-urban neighborhood with lots of trees) just a few days ago. Hope to seen him again.
Beautiful birds
Thanks for sharing another wonderful video like always 🐦❤️👍
Thank you Miguel
Excellent and really informative video and I learned a lot on interesting facts - especially about their eating habits. We've had a few here reported in the Ottawa area over the past number of years and looking like they're expanding and staying as resident. Love that red 'mullet' hairdo they have. ;)
Thanks for sharing and happy birding!
That is so cool about you guys getting them some in your area. Neat looking birds, and it is a lot like a mullet haha! :) Have a good night
I have only one red bellied woodpecker and one wren that visits my porch. The rest are multiple purple and golden finches and those adorable chickadees and titmouses and one pair of downy woodpeckers. Oh and a few doves!
Aww thanks Miss Lesley your videos are awesome and entertaining and educational for us bird lovers I have not seen the woodpecker lately but now that it's getting cold here in MICHIGAN I'm pretty sure I'll see one or two I'm gonna put out a suet cake and some black oil sunflower seeds
We have a family of these that stay around all through the winter and they are gorgeous birds.
Good info. Mine likes peanuts. Takes one to his tree cavity then comes back for more..
Awesome as always. Love the woodpeckers.
Thanks Don