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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 .

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anne leueen

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Comments

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

  1. rkrontheroad Avatar
    rkrontheroad

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

    Reply
    1. anne leueen Avatar
      anne leueen

      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.

      Reply
  2. popsiclesociety Avatar
    popsiclesociety

    Beautiful photos!

    Reply
    1. anne leueen Avatar
      anne leueen

      Thank you!

      Reply
  3. Laleh Chini Avatar
    Laleh Chini

    Awww, beautiful.❤️

    Reply
    1. anne leueen Avatar
      anne leueen

      Thank you Laleh!

      Reply
      1. Laleh Chini Avatar
        Laleh Chini

        My pleasure.🌷

        Reply
  4. Marsha Avatar
    Marsha

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

    Reply
    1. anne leueen Avatar
      anne leueen

      Thanks Matsha!

      Reply
      1. Marsha Avatar
        Marsha

        🙂 You’re welcome. 🙂

        Reply
    2. anne leueen Avatar
      anne leueen

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

      Reply
      1. Marsha Avatar
        Marsha

        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.

        Reply
        1. anne leueen Avatar
          anne leueen

          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.

          Reply
          1. Marsha Avatar
            Marsha

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

          2. anne leueen Avatar
            anne leueen

            Yes indeed there is.

  5. Irene Avatar
    Irene

    Great captures, Anne. 😊

    Reply
  6. J.W.S. Avatar
    J.W.S.

    Marvelous image of such a fun bird. Well done.

    Reply
    1. anne leueen Avatar
      anne leueen

      Thank you!

      Reply
  7. Subbashini Meenakshi Sundaram Avatar
    Subbashini Meenakshi Sundaram

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

    Reply
    1. anne leueen Avatar
      anne leueen

      So glad you enjoyed seeing these photos Subbashini.

      Reply
  8. sandyjwhite Avatar
    sandyjwhite

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

    Reply
    1. anne leueen Avatar
      anne leueen

      Thanks Sandy!

      Reply
      1. sandyjwhite Avatar
        sandyjwhite

        Welcome. Anne.

        Reply
  9. nesfelicio Avatar
    nesfelicio

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

    Reply
    1. anne leueen Avatar
      anne leueen

      You are most welcome.

      Reply
  10. VJ Knutson Avatar
    VJ Knutson

    Cute!

    Reply
    1. anne leueen Avatar
      anne leueen

      Yes!

      Reply
  11. Sascha Darlington Avatar
    Sascha Darlington

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

    Reply
    1. anne leueen Avatar
      anne leueen

      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.

      Reply
  12. Roadtirement Avatar
    Roadtirement

    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.

    Reply
    1. anne leueen Avatar
      anne leueen

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

      Reply
  13. Lesley Avatar
    Lesley

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

    Reply
    1. anne leueen Avatar
      anne leueen

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

      Reply

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