I am seeing similar woodpecker behavior today. A female Downy has been clinging stock still to the top of a nearly empty suet feeder for the better part of an hour, and not even in a place where she can feed. No other birds are at our feeder area, nor that I can see around feeders next door. I see no hawks (nor crows) as I look out other windows, but I know there is a Merlin somewhere in the neighborhood, because I saw it perched atop a tree a couple blocks away as I walked home from Greenstar at quarter to twelve. I have seen a woodpecker stay motionless before as if to hide from predators, but I think perhaps this one is just resting.
Also to address your question, Sandy, I can't recall ever seeing a crow chase or attack a Downy Woodpecker. --Dave Nutter > On Mar 9, 2017, at 10:58 PM, Sandy Wold <sandra.w...@gmail.com> wrote: > > I've been meaning to post this for a few months. I noticed a female downy at > my feeder about six weeks ago who did not move for about 25 minutes. I was > super busy that day going in and out of the kitchen, and after about two or > three minutes, noted she had never moved her position. Usually, she does not > stay for more than a few minutes, but this day she was so still that I could > see her inner eye cover things blink over her eyes. A few times she moved > her eyes to look, but stiller than still. I tried to see what it was she was > looking at but saw no hawks...later, I remembered hearing American crows > coming from the direction of the tree she was looking up at, and they were > calling the entire time. So I am wondering if anyone has ever seen a crow go > after a downy???? > -- -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
