Daddy Woodpecker on Baby Duty

Another family is living at our house--a family of woodpeckers. The first day we saw mom, dad, and junior all at the feeder which is unusual as we rarely see more than one at a time. Apparently, woodpeckers feed in different areas and not together. So when we saw three it was a surprise. Mom didn't stay long and went on to another place to feed. Daddy spent several days feeding junior from the feeder which has peanut butter and wheat bread in it. It was so interesting to see him feeding his baby.

Daddy is on the right and baby on the left.

Baby was being stubborn about eating and trying to eat by himself, so daddy woodpecker hopped around the back side of the tree and offered junior some food from a different angle. You can just see part of his head and beak peaking out from the back of the tree and it appears he has some peanut butter on the end of his beak.

Daddy (on the right) looks smaller than junior (on the left).

Yesterday daddy woodpecker wasn't around, just junior, so we figured he was on his own now. However, today the feeder was out of peanut butter after some squirrel eating it all! And the bread was too far away from the front of the feeder for junior to figure out how to get the bread. I felt sorry for him until I saw him back with daddy woodpecker who was reaching into the feeder and getting him some bread and feeding him again. It was like he had to go find his daddy to help him and daddy cared enough to help him out. After a bit they flew off together and I am hoping daddy woodpecker is trying to teach him to eat something else so he doesn't become dependent on just this one feeder/food.

Baby (on left)  is looking at the bread as if saying "Daddy, I can't reach it. Feed me."