There are currently two northern flickers on my feeder! (And a bunch of disgruntled bluebirds on my railing.) Actually, you couldn’t say they’re both on the feeder–one is, and the other is watching him grumpily from farther up the tree. They don’t seem to want to feed simultaneously, although the flicker will allow a downy woodpecker to dine opposite, if they’re quiet about it.

The bluebirds are sulky about these new arrivals, since they’ve been dominating the feeder for a few weeks, but it’s hard to bully someone two and a half times your size, with a bill longer than your entire head. The brown-headed nuthatches, who’ve been a lot bolder lately–possibly my suet feeder has become a larger part of their diet in this nasty weather–can’t take on any of these guys, but will lurk partway up the tree until the woodpecker leaves, but before the bluebirds have taken posession, and nip in for a beakful of suet.

Also finally managed to pin down something as a hairy woodpecker, rather than downy–beak and size being the indicators.

I’m feeling about 75% today…not fabulous, but not walking dead, either. Working on Digger, taking it easy. Slept in, will probably take another nap here shortly. Biggest problem is my abused nose, which having been blown several zillion times in the last few days is now like raw hamburger. No matter how often I blow it, I still feel stuffed up. I’m not sure if my sinuses are just packed, or if my nasal lining is so raw that a single molecule of mucus feels like an entire woolly mammother wedged behind my septum, but it’s unpleasant, whatever it is.