This Cabbage Palm is one of the favorites for the Woodpeckers. I guess there a a lot of bugs hanging out here. When the big fronds die they break off …leaving short pieces on the tree that catch debris and make a good home for bugs. They eventually break and fall off, leaving the tree trunk smoother.
I keep thinking I am naming this bird wrong…but it is zebra-backed with the red covering the head and nape of the neck, and that is the books description. This is a male. The females have red on the neck but not on the top of it’s head.
I love watching Woodpeckers work for their dinner.
Great pictures and video! That's a pretty bird and I love the rough bark on the palm. Those are sights I never see. Thanks for posting.
ReplyDeleteYou have it exactly right, Diane! I love seeing them in our backyard. We'e been having them and a Northern Flicker visiting the past week or so. The flickers make camp in the platform feeders and clean them out!
ReplyDeleteGreat pictures and post. Woodpeckers are always fun to watch and to photograph. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteWe have those kind of Woodpeckers here. You may not have noticed but they do have a rosy tint low on their belly. I love to watch them going around a tree pecking to knock out bugs. Helen
ReplyDeleteGood shots of the WP. The video is pretty cool, too. The Palm is neat. Have never seen a Red-bellied WP, nor a Palm Tree!
ReplyDeleteNice shots. Hungry woodpeckers.
ReplyDeleteIt seems so strange to see a woodpecker on a palm tree. I'm so used to seeing them here on big evergreen trees and I guess that's what I figured they mostly ate from. That is really a pretty variety, I love the stripes and red coloring.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful shots! The palm tree makes for such a lovely background.
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