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Finally saw a pileated woodpecker after 3 years of trying
I've been putting out suet cakes every week for the last 3 winters hoping to attract one, and last Thursday a big male showed up on my dead oak tree at 7am. He spent a solid 15 minutes hammering away at this one spot near the top, and the sound was way louder than I expected from those little woodpeckers. Anyone else have a yard bird that took forever to finally show up?
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milacraig4d ago
Three years of suet cakes for one bird. That's a lot of money and effort for a 15 minute visit. My neighbor gets pileateds every spring with zero effort. They just show up for the carpenter ants in his old fence posts. Maybe the suet cakes aren't the draw. Maybe they like bugs more.
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jana_hart184d ago
Oh, come on now. You're missing the whole point of backyard birding. It's not about efficiency or "getting the most bird for your buck." It's about the patience and the quiet thrill of earning that trust. Three years of suet cakes is a labor of love, not a transaction. Your neighbor's pileateds are just passing through for a quick snack, not staying as a regular visitor. There's a world of difference between a bird that happens to show up and one you've actually worked to attract.
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