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Friday, May 10, 2013

Battle of the Birds

We have a new arrival at our backyard feeders: the red-bellied woodpecker. And he is quite smitten with the peanut feeder. For the last few days he has successfully fought off every starling that has tried to overtake the coveted feeder. He is a one-man army fighting for his cause. Finally, the starlings put their bird brains together and figured if they double-teamed him, they might be able to take the feeder back. It all came to a head recently and it was really fun to watch. What can I say? I'm easily amused. You can see how Woody is having a nice leisurely lunch at first, then the peaceful meal escalates into a frenzy as the starlings assert their dominance.
Mmmm...nice morsel...

It's so peaceful without those foul and uncouth starlings. Maybe they won't show today.

Spoke too soon! Dagnabit!

Starling: I am the angel of death and this is your warning.

Woody: Back off you brute!

Woody: I will cut you, fool!

Starling: Muah hahaha. We'll see about that. I have friends in high places.

Oh, crap.

Uh oh, I'm surrounded.

I'm outta here!
Woody either realized he was outnumbered or got tired of defending his territory. I've gotten a lot of mileage out of that $12.99 bag of peanuts. Well worth the price of admission!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! See you on Monday. :)

47 comments:

  1. Rambling WoodsMay 10, 2013 at 12:10 AM

    Nobody messes with the cranky redbellies... You caught it perfectly...

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  2. Brian KingMay 10, 2013 at 3:16 AM

    Fantastic! The last shot is priceless! We had Red-bellied Woodpeckers over the winter and they didn't let anything drive them off. I always like it when the bully birds get a taste of their own medicine! :-)

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  3. Buttons ThoughtsMay 10, 2013 at 6:37 AM

    Oh $12.99 is very cheap for thrills like this. Awesome. Hug B

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  4. Amy BurzeseMay 10, 2013 at 6:44 AM

    Great job and great entertainment. Better than TV or internet any day.

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  5. AnonymousMay 10, 2013 at 7:02 AM

    That was so awesome - great shots and dialogue! Thank you for the morning chuckle!!

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  6. Linda at To Behold The BeautyMay 10, 2013 at 7:44 AM

    Ha, ha! Love the "spoke too soon" and "angel of death" photos. Wonderful action shots and great dialogue, as always. Children's book in the making. :)

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  7. TexWisGirlMay 10, 2013 at 8:35 AM

    love your narration. :) he's got quite the beak - i think he could take 'em. :)

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  8. DeannaMay 10, 2013 at 10:04 AM

    Again, wonderful images and your commentating just adds to the enjoyment!!

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  9. EG CameraGirlMay 10, 2013 at 10:06 AM

    This WOULD be tons of fun to watch! I bet Woody can take very good care of himself. :)

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  10. Charlotte WilsonMay 10, 2013 at 10:14 AM

    You are so funny! thanks for the smiles and great photos and captions!

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  11. Lisa @ Two Bears FarmMay 10, 2013 at 10:25 AM

    Those peanuts sure do provide entertainment!

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  12. AnonymousMay 10, 2013 at 10:29 AM

    you manage to get some really good shots of birds.

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  13. HansHBMay 10, 2013 at 10:50 AM

    Great photos from the bird-feeder!

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  14. Lisa GordonMay 10, 2013 at 11:21 AM

    Great series of photographs, Gail.
    He did a good job keeping them away.

    Have a wonderful weekend!

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  15. KarenMay 10, 2013 at 11:27 AM

    What a chuckle! At least he had a peanut to take with him. Terrific shots Gail.

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  16. hootnonnyMay 10, 2013 at 12:16 PM

    Great shots, Gail. You always make me laugh.

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  17. AnonymousMay 10, 2013 at 1:17 PM

    Wonderful photos and captions! Love the Red-bellied Woodpeckers.

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  18. the wild magnoliaMay 10, 2013 at 2:07 PM

    great interaction. don't believe i've ever seen better photos. make a book gal. get on with it. ;-]

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  19. Ruth HiebertMay 10, 2013 at 2:25 PM

    Amazing shots of the action. I do hope Woody comes back.

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  20. Pride In Photos BeautyMay 10, 2013 at 3:47 PM

    Just beautiful macros...stunning! Love your story telling.

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  21. eileeninmdMay 10, 2013 at 5:57 PM

    Cute series on the woodie. I would much rather see the woodpecker eating your peanuts than the starlings. Have a happy weekend!

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  22. UnknownMay 10, 2013 at 9:17 PM

    Oh,Gail! This is outstanding - you should win an award for this!!

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  23. Stewart MMay 11, 2013 at 4:15 AM

    Great set of pictures - a time machine would be nice to suggest that moving birds all over the globe is a bad idea! (But I would do a few other things as well!)

    Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

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  24. NancyMay 11, 2013 at 7:01 AM

    I so agree -- at $20 a bag for black sunflower seeds -- I get a whole month's worth of entertainment right outside my window. xo

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  25. Optimistic ExistentialistMay 11, 2013 at 7:17 AM

    I have tried to buy that bird seed that apparently does not appeal to Starlings (or at least that's how it's advertised) but it doesn't stop them!!

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  26. ShugMay 11, 2013 at 8:19 AM

    funny and cute. Poor little fella....he had a good thing going on and now it's all been ruined. I'm guessing that he will be back!! The taste of those peanuts are just too yummy to keep him away. Have your camera ready...we might just see a peanut war.

    Hope you have a super great Mother's day weekend...
    shug

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  27. HilaryMay 11, 2013 at 9:56 AM

    You got some incredible action shots here, Gail. Fantastic.

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  28. DonnaMay 11, 2013 at 10:17 AM

    Simply amazing captures of a great encounter.

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  29. AnonymousMay 11, 2013 at 10:37 AM

    With a bag of your own popcorn you've got quite the show!

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  30. AnonymousMay 11, 2013 at 11:40 AM

    Wow - your shots keep on getting better and better. Awesome work!

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  31. UnknownMay 11, 2013 at 5:23 PM

    Well my friend you have done it once again.. You have me smiling from ear to ear.. LOVE these photos.. And the narration is pretty darn funny as well.

    Hugs~

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  32. WillowMay 11, 2013 at 6:26 PM

    Gorgeous photos and fun, fun narrative :) Love the woodpecker!

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  33. KarenMay 11, 2013 at 7:14 PM

    Beautiful images, love the story that goes with them.

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  34. KarenMay 11, 2013 at 7:16 PM

    I enjoyed looking through your previous posts, please count me in as your next reader.

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  35. StarlaMay 11, 2013 at 7:30 PM

    I'm not sure which I enjoyed more, the photos or the commentary!!

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  36. KerryMay 11, 2013 at 9:24 PM

    Wow! This is fantastic, Gail! Tha starling looks kinda big. So Woody opted for take-out & got away with a nice snack anyway.

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  37. SuzanMay 12, 2013 at 8:47 AM

    Wonderfully amazing shots!!! I have a woodpecker also that rules my birdfeeder. But the birdfeeder is only for the smaller song birds, so all the larger birds like it when Woodie comes to visit since he knocks the seeds out of the feeder to the ground. You must have had your camera on rapid fire!! Love it!

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  38. StephanieMay 12, 2013 at 8:51 AM

    haha ... LOVED your post :) My sons enjoyed it too. Great photos, Gail.

    Hugs to you!

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  39. ReenaMay 12, 2013 at 3:46 PM

    Total joy in your story! Peanuts well worth the admission!

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  40. Ramakant PradhanMay 12, 2013 at 3:58 PM

    Some fantastic shots of the birds! Beautiful post!

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  41. Sallie (FullTime-Life)May 13, 2013 at 10:21 AM

    It certainly was worth the price of admission; thanks for inviting us to see the show. Wow.

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  42. Richard PeglerMay 13, 2013 at 12:37 PM

    I think that that has to be the prettiest woodpecker I've ever seen!! And beautifully captured by you!

    The Starlings are the bane of my woodpecker's life too, although they fight over the fat balls!

    Keep up the good work Gail!

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  43. HilaryMay 15, 2013 at 6:58 AM

    Beautiful birds, and beautiful shots. I'm going out and buy a bag of peanuts!!!

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  44. holdingmomentsMay 15, 2013 at 7:37 AM

    A great set Gail. :-)

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  45. TexWisGirlMay 15, 2013 at 8:27 AM

    i do believe you need your very own POTW crown and scepter!

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  46. Joanna JenkinsMay 15, 2013 at 3:08 PM

    Wow-- those colors are absolutely stunning! Great pics.

    And congrats on your POTW from Hilary!

    xo jj

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  47. UnknownMay 21, 2013 at 12:09 AM

    Beautiful pics Mama!

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