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Attracting woodpeckers (1 Viewer)

W

will562

Well-known member
Hi

We already have a good variety of garden birds visiting, and i know there are woodpeckers around as they have been in our garden before. Just wondering what other people's experience has been with attracting woodpeckeckers and what feeders/food works best?

Thanks

Will
 
will562 said:
Hi

We already have a good variety of garden birds visiting, and i know there are woodpeckers around as they have been in our garden before. Just wondering what other people's experience has been with attracting woodpeckeckers and what feeders/food works best?

Thanks

Will
Click to expand...

Hi Will,

Can't speak for the UK, but here in the US woodpeckers were always on the suet feeders.
They will take sunflower hearts and peanuts, but suet is preferred imho.
I suspect that if someone had the inclination to set up an active live mealworm feeder, they would get every woodpecker in the county, but these might have to duke it out with the rest of the local birds for a place in the queue.
 
I have a boatload of different woodpeckers and they all love the suet feeders. I use a hot pepper variety which the squirrels don't touch but the birds love them.
 
The Green Woodpeckers here tend to eat ants from the lawn. The Great Spotted Woodpeckers are particularly fond of peanuts in a metal mesh holder.
 

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I put out a seed and berry mix that has brought an abundance of woodpeckers to my backyard. Not sure if they have anything like this around you...But the Red-breasted Woodpeckers and the Downy Woodpecker love this along with many more birds that are harder to attract to ones backyard with typical bird seed. Blue Jays, Tufted Titmouse as well...
http://reviews.tractorsupply.com/05...t-nut-bird-food-mix-15-lb-reviews/reviews.htm

I also have them feeding on "Bluebird Nuggets Plus" which was bought due to the store being out of peanuts. I find this brings more song birds into the yard as well as the Downy Woodpecker has been fond of it for some time. The Red-Breasted Woodpecker never made an appearance until the fruit and seed mix was added to the backyard.

Bluebird Nugget Plus has Suet,roasted peanuts and raisins. Which I put in a peanut metal feeder that has holes all over it.
http://www.suetstore.com/blnup.html
 
Having only recently installed a Niger feeder which has attracted previously unseen Goldfinches into my garden I was surprised to see a huge one land on the feeder. It was a woodpecker, not seen here since the 1970s.

He didn't stop long but I was struck by the similarity in plumage, which I'd never noticed before. Now I just have to find a way to get him back.
 
Kits said:
The Green Woodpeckers here tend to eat ants from the lawn. The Great Spotted Woodpeckers are particularly fond of peanuts in a metal mesh holder.
Click to expand...

I have that same feeder, and have never had a GSW near it.

The squirrel loves it however :-O
 
Thanks for all the replies, my suet feeders finally arrived and i've got a variety of suet cakes up which the blue and great tits are enjoying but no joy with any woodpeckers, although they only went up yesterday. Oh as i'm typing one's just landed in our tree :)
 
cander328 said:
WHich suet feeder did you get?
Click to expand...

Hi, well I love the Droll Yankee's products as they are quality and come with lifetime warranty. I had seen they do a stainless steel suet cake holder on their website but couldn't find any over here in England unless I bought from USA through ebay and paid ridiculous postage and packaging. But a company in England very kindly ordered me some direct from Droll Yankees and luckily they were just putting their order in with them, they were very reasonably priced as well!

Yes i could have gone for one in our shops but I didn't. As they were cheap i bought two and linked them together with stainless steel carbine clips.

Still no woodpeckers and I have a Nuthatch that keeps landing in the tree in my garden but flying on to next doors bird table :(

The tits are all over them though so hopefully I will get some woodpeckers soon as they keep landing in the tree as well.
 

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etudiant said:
Hi Will,

Can't speak for the UK, but here in the US woodpeckers were always on the suet feeders.
They will take sunflower hearts and peanuts, but suet is preferred imho.
I suspect that if someone had the inclination to set up an active live mealworm feeder, they would get every woodpecker in the county, but these might have to duke it out with the rest of the local birds for a place in the queue.
Click to expand...
Interesting comment regarding meal worms. I've tried re-hydrated freeze dried ones with zero success. I'll have try to get some live ones. Suet and peanut butter work well for woodpeckers. I'd like to put some out here but the forest rangers consider that feeding bears (I'm presently in Florida). There are lots of Red-bellied and Pileated around. The Red-bellied will come to sunflower seeds but the Pileated don't seem interested in feeders.
 
will562 said:
Hi, well I love the Droll Yankee's products as they are quality and come with lifetime warranty. I had seen they do a stainless steel suet cake holder on their website but couldn't find any over here in England unless I bought from USA through ebay and paid ridiculous postage and packaging. But a company in England very kindly ordered me some direct from Droll Yankees and luckily they were just putting their order in with them, they were very reasonably priced as well!

Yes i could have gone for one in our shops but I didn't. As they were cheap i bought two and linked them together with stainless steel carbine clips.

Still no woodpeckers and I have a Nuthatch that keeps landing in the tree in my garden but flying on to next doors bird table :(

The tits are all over them though so hopefully I will get some woodpeckers soon as they keep landing in the tree as well.
Click to expand...

Success! Had a woodpecker on the suet today, and almost got a photo too but it was scared off by next doors cat. Hopefully will be back soon.
 
He's been back today, spent about 10 mins on the feeder and destroyed one corner of the suet cake. Also you can see why I got two feeders as I think one wouldn't be big enough, although I'm sure they would cope ok with one. Sorry about the poor picture quality, zoomed right in from the bedroom window.
 

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