Woodpeckers - the Backyard Naturalist strikes again.

It's well before 7 am on the second day of May. The thrum of a woodpecker rises above the eager calls of other birds.
     There are four Vermont woodpeckers which immediately come to my mind. There is the flicker, which isn't the characteristic black and white. It's most noticeable by the dark bar of color below its throat. Then there are the hairy and downy woodpeckers. I finally put a stickie note on my computer to remind me that the hairy woodpecker is larger than the downy woodpecker.
     And then there is the pileated.
     The pileated is a huge and dramatic beast of a bird. Once when I was walking, a pileated came up behind me and flew over my head. I've never before heard such a rush of feathers and wind. Just as it came into my line of sight, it chattered. It then perched high up in a tree and rotated around the trunk so it was then hidden from my view. I could have stayed there for hours just watching for it, but my lunch break was over. I had to go back to work.
     I'm blessed: I get to see a handsome pileated woodpecker six to eight times a year. At least one, if not a family, lives around here. When I don't see him, I see his evidence. Pileated woodpeckers don't tend to make polite little holes in trees. They are demolition specialists. If you see a larger woodpecker hole, look around. You may find splinters and pieces of wood as big as your fingers. That's the work of a pileated woodpecker.

     While on my walk yesterday, I noticed many fresh woodpecker holes in the trees. Empirically speaking, I'd say that this year there are many more fresh woodpecker holes compared to previous years.
     I noticed something else. The hairy and downy woodpeckers drilled into trees far lower than I have ever seen. I have never seen them at ground level. (Note: please correct  me in the comments if you have seen this more commonly. Thank you!)
     My first thought was that the long winter may have killed more bugs and provided a larger supply of nourishment for the woodpeckers. Perhaps the winter killed more areas in the trees, allowing the woodpeckers greater access.
     And then I realized that these could be the actions of desperation. What timid little bird would invest time hammering at ground level?
     I truly don't know.
     This year, I put out suet for my little friends. My attempt was unsuccessful: the squirrels made very short work of it. Therefore, my desire for warmer weather is at least partly altruistic. The woodpeckers need more food sources! 
     I think of Matthew 10:27 and Luke 12:27. As fond as I am of birds, Someone loves them and cares for them far more than I ever could. And as much as that Someone loves and cares for birds, He cares for each of us even more.
Shalom,
mrfb