He looked innocent enough, just chillin' among the oranges, having deep woodpecker thoughts...
In fact I first saw him sitting atop the bird feeder that I had hung on the orange tree's lower branches.
Hmmm... he sure is interested in those oranges. Are they over-ripe and being eaten by ants and fruit flies? Is my wonderous woodpecker helping control pests in my yard by dining on these pesky little creatures? What a guy!
I don't think ants or fruit flies can bore perfect little holes like this...
When we picked the punctured citrus, loads of little fruit flies came out through the bore hole.
No wonder he looked so blissful! He was having one heck of a buggy breakfast topped off with fresh OJ!So, will I try to deter the woodpeckers from eating the oranges? Probably not. I'll follow the sage advice of Lee Singh at Singh Farms - "just plant more, some for us humans, and some for the birds".
Photos by Peggy Thomas