Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

 One of many winter resident birds in my yard includes the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. 

Have you ever noticed a series of small round holes in your fruit trees or other trees in your yard? Well, then you have one of these beauties visiting your yard.

I’ve seen this handy beak work on my fruit trees for years but, I’ve never been able to catch an image of one until this year. About a week ago I caught a glimpse of a different kind of woodpecker at my suet feeder so, I grabbed my camera to take a picture and set out to find out what kind of woodpecker he or she was. To my surprise, I found out she was a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.

For years I've noticed neat patterns of holes in my old apple tree and other trees but have never been able to attract this type of woodpecker to a birdfeeder or suet feeder until this year and this leads me to wonder if this could be a new female or if the sap is not too great in my tress this year for her to eat. Either way, she is really cool and is welcome to eat what she wants in my yard. 

If you notice small holes in your tress in a set pattern please don't worry about the tree it will live on. My old apple tree has served for many years and so have my other huge trees. 

One cool fact is hummingbirds love the sap that their sapwells leave behind. 

To find out more about these beauties click here https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Yellow-bellied_Sapsucker/overview