Downy Discoveries

After yesterday's avian loss of life, documented beautifully by Phil, it was a relief today to watch this young male Downy Woodpecker explore his environment.

He spent quite a long time in the hanging feeder, which he had all to himself, other than a brief intrusion by a cheeky Black-Capped Chickadee. Sated with seeds and suet, DW Jr. proceeded to practice his rapid-fire drilling technique on the wire feeder -- to no avail -- and then on the post that holds the feeder. 

That was much more successful, as is evident in today's blip, and DW Jr. apparently thought that there might be a few ants or other tiny insects on the run from his intrusion, so he extended a portion of his long, sticky tongue (see extra). Alas, he came up empty, but watching him "at work" made me curious about woodpecker tongues, and just look at what I found out! (Paragraphs 8-10 are key.)

I've learned far more about the natural world from being a "blipper" than I ever did in college! And I've learned more about life in other countries, as well -- most recently, a number of the people I follow in the UK have written eloquently and at length about the Brexit vote, both before and after, giving me insights I would not have had otherwise. 

(The next few days are family-rich for us, so posting and commenting will be erratic.)

Blip 1566