Downy Woodpecker Foraging
It's amazing what you can discover when you look over your photos for the day.
Towards the end of my hike today, I photographed a downy woodpecker while he shuffled around on a branch, pecking away. When I reviewed the photos later, I could see he was systematically excavating patches on the branch and removing small worms. You can see evidence of his work in the main photo of the associated observation. After choosing a spot, he rammed his beak into the bark of the branch and twisted. Then he could peel the bark back, remove a little pulp, and yank out an unsuspecting worm.
Pretty cool eh?
