Easy-to-Overlook Downys

It would be a strange day indeed if I were not to see a Downy Woodpecker at my suet baskets at least once. They don't necessarily spend a huge part of their day at the suet, but they come by frequently (and stealthily) enough that it is sometimes easy to overlook them. We have a presumably happy family group here thanks to an abundance of cover, mature pines with many insect foraging opportunities, and of course, a wealth of high protein suet to round out the daily diet. I watched a young male grow up this spring and that juvenile is already an old pro at all the things Downys do. They may not be as visually arresting as a Flicker or Red Bellied, but they are well worth the watch--and photograph.