I spotted this handsome little Red-bellied Woodpecker foraging for goodies high up in a tree in the Morikami Japanese Gardens.
His diet consists mostly of insects, spiders, and other arthropods, but he also may be enjoying bits of plant material here.
Here’s a Cool Fact:
“A Red-bellied Woodpecker can stick out its tongue nearly 2 inches past the end of its beak. The tip is barbed and the bird’s spit is sticky, making it easier to snatch prey from deep crevices.” (All about Birds)
Birder's Journey 
Thanks BJ for sharing this beautiful bird and interesting facts about it’s feeding habits. It reminds me of our Treecreeper but is not as beautiful in appearance, it blends in with the tree making it a challenge to see.
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Thanks BJ my friend
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Thanks so much, AB☺️😉! I’m curious what kinds of woodpeckers you have in Australia!
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We do not have any birds like your wood pecker ours remove bark from trees and poke beaks into tree holes similar to woodpeckers
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So interesting! We do have some kinds of tree creepers here, though I’ve only seen one or two and don’t remember which ones there are. Now you’ve prompted me to look up tree creepers in my own state and throughout the US!
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Just did a quick look and found out that the brown tree creeper is the only one in North America. Maybe I saw one in another country on a birding trip once too. We do have Nuthatches and even our black-and-white warblers scramble up and down tree trunks.
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We have a brown treecreeper also out west of the ranges
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Our Cockatoo use their powerful beaks to chip away at trees to extract grubs and build nesting holes. They can cut small trees down if they work at it. But we don’t have birds that peck the tree like Woody Woodpecker 😊
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☺️
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Lovely photos! Wish I could have been there to see it in person!
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You also would love the location, Amy. The gardens are stunning, and so serene!
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Ah, the charming woodpecker with feathers so fine, In Morikami Gardens, perched high to dine! 🍂 With beak poised for hunting and eyes all astute, He seeks his next meal in a bark-splintered chute. 🌳
What’s on the menu? Arthropods galore— Spiders and beetles, and maybe more! 🕷️ But let us not scoff at his plant-based delight; A veggie or two may take a quick bite. 🍃
Oh, clever red-bellied, with tongue quite unique, It juts two whole inches past the tip of his beak! 👅 Barbed and sticky, a weapon refined, For snatching up critters no other could find. 🪲
What a feat of design in avian lore! This bird’s ingenuity we can’t ignore. 🦅 So let’s raise a feather to his clever disguise, For lurking in treetops, he’s full of surprise! 🎩
Hats off to nature’s enchanting display— The woodpecker’s world on a crisp autumn day. 🍁
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I love this, Yishai!! The Red-bellied Woodpecker truly is a “feat of design”! ☺️
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Although one of our most abundant woodpeckers, it’s a joy to observe them as they go about their daily routine. We’re lucky to have had a pair nest in the yard for several years. (Likely not the same pair.)
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Yes, we seem to see them everywhere! What a treat for you to have them nesting right in your yard, Wally.
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Wow! What amazing shots! Have you ever seen this tongue??
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Thanks, Yaffa!☺️ I’ve never seen this in real life, just in pictures.
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Red-bellied woodpeckers visit our feeders through the year. This is a reminder to buy suet and get it out there. Thanks!! I enjoyed the photographs
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Glad you enjoyed them Michael! We see Red-bellied Woodpeckers here in Florida all year round too, and they nest in our local wetlands. You remind me how my dad always used to hang suet in our backyard trees in upstate New York.
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