A New Visitor

by Ben Crusan
(Butler, PA)

Well recently here in Pennsylvania; Butler to be exact, we feed an abundance of birds. In the winter now, we usually only get a lot of snowbirds (dark-eyed juncos) and sparrows, but more chickadees, titmice, and nuthatches have found their way to our feeders. Also like last year, a male downy woodpecker found our suet again, and this year a female downy woodpecker has also discovered the suet. But what came as a shock this year, actually this past weekend was a group of robins and starlings appeared and among them appeared a male Red-Bellied Woodpecker. It was the first one I have seen in Butler ever. There's also one that has been living at my grandfather's farm (in Blairsville, PA). But sadly we cannot put out suet for him because due to farm work, we would not be able to keep it stocked, and the large amount of starlings would keep draining it. However, that woodpecker has three full corn cribs to eat corn out of so I think he'll be just fine.