A Mother’s Work is Never Done!

I have seen a hairy woodpecker come to our feeder and get a black sunflower seed. She then takes it to a nearby tree and pounds it to break the shell. Then she feeds the seed to one of her “children”. I was amazed as they seem to be quite big. But is suppose they are not able to break up the shell of the sunflower seeds ….yet. Here are a couple of photos of this hardworking Mother.

Here she is breaking off the shell and the two youngsters wait and watch.
One of the youngsters now gets the seed. The Mother will go back to the feeder, get another seed and bring it to the tree, break the shell and feed it to the other young woodpecker.

I am linking this post to the Bird Weekly challenge, “Common birds in your area this time of year” Take a look to see some other birds. I enjoyed seeing the birds in the Philippines shared by Nes Felicio .

Comments

33 responses to “A Mother’s Work is Never Done!”

  1. rkrontheroad Avatar

    What a treat to be able to watch this family at work! Great photos.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. anne leueen Avatar

      Thank you. I was just amazed that they were quite big and still had to be fed. But I think it is the seed shell breaking they don’t have yet.

      Liked by 1 person

  2. popsiclesociety Avatar

    Beautiful photos!

    Like

  3. Laleh Chini Avatar

    Awww, beautiful.❤️

    Like

    1. anne leueen Avatar

      Thank you Laleh!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Laleh Chini Avatar

        My pleasure.🌷

        Liked by 1 person

  4. Marsha Avatar

    Those are beautiful woodpeckers, Anne. We had woodpeckers in CA, but they were mostly black. Gorgeous pictures. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. anne leueen Avatar

      Thanks Matsha!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Marsha Avatar

        🙂 You’re welcome. 🙂

        Like

    2. anne leueen Avatar

      We have about three woodies who come to our feeders; the downy and the larger hairy and also the red bellied

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Marsha Avatar

        We only had one kind of woodie in CA, Here’s a list compiled by Google. Downy Woodpecker.
        Hairy Woodpecker.
        Pileated Woodpecker.
        Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.
        Northern Flicker.
        Lewis’s Woodpecker.
        Red-headed Woodpecker.
        Black-backed Woodpecker. Some of ours had red heads, but most were black with a white spot on its wing as it spread.

        Liked by 1 person

        1. anne leueen Avatar

          We have the Hairy and Downy here and the Red bellied, which has a red head but not a red belly,In the winter. We also have the Pileated but not at our feeder. Thanks for sharing your list.

          Liked by 1 person

          1. Marsha Avatar

            I wish I was more of a birder. There is so much to know, isn’t there?

            Like

          2. anne leueen Avatar

            Yes indeed there is.

            Liked by 1 person

  5. Irene Avatar

    Great captures, Anne. 😊

    Liked by 1 person

  6. J.W.S. Avatar

    Marvelous image of such a fun bird. Well done.

    Liked by 1 person

  7. Subbashini Meenakshi Sundaram Avatar

    Beautiful and touching pictures, rare to see this type of pictures. Great share

    Liked by 1 person

    1. anne leueen Avatar

      So glad you enjoyed seeing these photos Subbashini.

      Like

  8. sandyjwhite Avatar

    Fun to watch birds tend to their little ones…nice shots!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. anne leueen Avatar

      Thanks Sandy!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. sandyjwhite Avatar

        Welcome. Anne.

        Liked by 1 person

  9. nesfelicio Avatar

    Great photos to illustrate a mother’s unending caring for offspring, Anne!
    Thanks for the mention! 😊

    Liked by 1 person

    1. anne leueen Avatar

      You are most welcome.

      Liked by 1 person

  10. Sascha Darlington Avatar

    Great pics! Definitely in the right place at the right!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. anne leueen Avatar

      I have a camera with a 250 lens on my desk so if I see a photo possibility I can grab it quickly. I waited for the Mother to come back and I knew once she had got the seed one of the young would get it and I could get the shot. Thanks for commenting Sascha.

      Liked by 1 person

  11. Roadtirement Avatar

    Wonderful captures!. Here in Indiana we are still asked to not put out feeders due to the ‘mystery’ disease that is killing off some species. 53 out of our 91 counties have reported dead birds. We so miss sitting out watching our feathered friends.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. anne leueen Avatar

      Oh dear! I’m sorry to hear that. We have been spared here so far.

      Liked by 1 person

  12. Lesley Avatar
    Lesley

    Beautiful photos, Anne! It’s so lovely to see this mum feeding her babies. 😍

    Liked by 1 person

    1. anne leueen Avatar

      Thank you Lesley for taking the time to leave a comment. She’s a busy Mother!

      Liked by 1 person

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