There are limbs and piles of debris lying around throughout the arboretum since the ice storm. Many birds are hopping through them and using them for cover and searching for food. I enjoyed watching this Downy Woodpecker investigate some of the fallen dead branches.
In the first photo, it appears that both feet briefly left the limb as he struck it. Like in the previous post, a bird’s movements happen in the blink of an eye, so I feel some actions are only observable by capturing them with a photo. It is interesting to see him seemingly throw his whole body into it as he forcefully struck the limb.
As he chipped away the bark, I occasionally saw him trying to pull off pieces of bark to get underneath. He was so determined as he tugged on them.
As he went along, he circled the whole branch. While clinging underneath, he easily moved along as he poked and searched for food.
This bird has a great spirit and is fun to watch. Happy birding!
