Observing Birds' Learning Curve

We added a new suet feeder from Duncraft this past week that was designed especially for woodpeckers. The immediate interest was in how quickly various species figured this feeder out. I eliminated the variable of location by siting this feeder at the same location as a former hanging suet basket. The first bird on the scene was the typically curious Carolina Chickadee. My genteel Flickers worked out the concept of the tail board by the next morning, and the Downy Woodpeckers (shown above) soon afterwards. The dunce cap went to the Red Bellied Woodpeckers who needed two extra days to think this one out, although one persistently favors the older model suet basket on the other side of the feeder tree. What was gratifying was how well many species adapted to this feeder even who are not the intended beneficiaries. On Monday, just four days into the experiment, BirdCam recorded six species at this suet feeder. The others included Carolina Wrens, Gray Catbirds, Brown Thrashers, and Common Grackles. Birdbrains, indeed not!