Tag Archives: Hairy Woodpecker

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Patricia Bacchetti had a Hairy Woodpecker land on a nearby tree and seemingly pose for her.

This is a small woodpecker, but very powerful. It has a look alike, the Downy Woodpecker. One big difference between the two is the beak. In a Hairy, the beak is much longer. Below is a photo of a Downy for comparison, photo taken by Michael Reinhart. See how small the beak of the Downy is?

Hairy Woodpeckers eat insects that they search for on trunks and large branches of trees. They have a short "peek" call, which you can listen to at this link from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology:  https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Hairy_Woodpecker/sounds Scroll down to "Calls, Pacific."

Guess what? The Downy Woodpecker has a similar call. Mother Nature sure has a sense of humor at times!

Thanks to Patricia and Michael for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

Very foggy at the coast but sunny just a short ways away. Very mild and lovely today.

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Michael Reinhart recently got a nice photo of a Hairy Woodpecker.

Here's what the Cornell Lab of Ornithology says about these woodpeckers:

"The larger of two look alikes, the Hairy Woodpecker is a small but powerful bird that forages along trunks and main branches of large trees. It wields a much longer bill than the Downy Woodpecker's almost thornlike bill. Hairy Woodpeckers have a somewhat soldierly look, with their erect, straight-backed posture on tree trunks and their cleanly striped heads. Look for them at backyard suet or sunflower feeders, and listen for them whinnying from woodlots, parks, and forests."

To listen to their one-note call, scroll down till you see Calls Pacific: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Hairy_Woodpecker/sounds

Thanks to Mike for allowing me to share his photo with you here.

Another beautiful day here, though cooler. Temps in the low 60s with a few drifting clouds.

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Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers can be difficult to tell apart. Diane Hichwa identified this woodpecker Michael Reinhart photographed as a Hairy.

Here's what Diane said about how to ID a Downy versus a Hairy:

"The white down the back is indicative of a Downy OR a Hairy.

The white outer tail feathers with NO black dots tell me it is a Hairy.

(D for downy and D for dots).

Also the bill length to head width says bigger Hairy."

Here is a photo of a Downy Woodpecker, taken by Craig Tooley, for comparison sake.

Hairy Woodpeckers have a quiet "cheep" call which you can hear at this link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Hairy_Woodpecker/sounds

Thanks to Mike for allowing me to share his photo with you here. And thanks to Craig for allowing me to show his photo here also. To see much more of Craig's nature photography, here is his website: http://www.ruffimage.com

0.60 inches of rain overnight, sunny and mild today. Another smallish storm coming in Saturday afternoon/evening.