Red Head

Red-bellied Woodpeckers strikingly barred backs and gleaming red heads make them an unforgettable sight. They bring bright colors and entertaining action to our bird feeder. Jack and I watched them out the window, when he was here. He said, "I like his head". That sums it up. They forage naturally and nest in our yard, and feed on berry trees, hawthorn, and mountain-ash in winter.

The woodpecker pecked out a little round hole
And made him a house in the telephone pole.

One day when I watched he poked out his head,
And he had on a hood and a collar of red.

When the streams of rain pour out of the sky,
And the sparkles of lightning go flashing by,

And the big, big wheels of thunder roll,
He can snuggle back in the telephone pole.

---Elizabeth Madox Roberts