It looks like there is another fellow besides the robin who did not want to make the trip south last autumn. This hardy male sapsucker was pecking at his hole almost all yesterday, ignoring the cold and snow. Usually, this member of the woodpecker family prefers warmer weather-at least, above 39 degrees.
The brush-like bristles on his tongue help him lap up the tasty sap that sticks to just as tasty insects. Hmmm!Good! But not only a delicious meal for a any hard-pecking sapsucker, but filled with amino acids and protein.
I first noticed him around 7:30 EST and continued to marvel at his tenacity that kept him pecking until late afternoon. The Smithsonian Migratory Center points out that their bird of the month in August, 2003, methodically drills horizontal holes around the less than healthy tree.
Notice his ever-so-lemon chest and the red around his throat which marks him as a male and especially his verical black stripes. No other woodpecker can claim this pattern.
