Guarding the

by Janice
(Liberty Twp., Youngstown, OH, USA)

I have had a male yellow bellied sapsucker in my yard for the last few days. He loves the "bark butter" I spread on the trunk of a tree and the suet I hang. He is so busy guarding the tree that he hasn't visited the feeder with "logs" of suet, with nuts and seeds. Nor has he visited my back yard feeders. It is wonderful being able to watch him (it is definitely a male) from my kitchen window. He is very protective of the "bark butter" and spends lots of time chasing away all the other birds.