What would the woods be without woodpeckers? Terribly boring! Woodpeckers — with their high-pitched cackles and persistent knocking on trees, homes and metal frames — keep the forests and neighborhoods rockin’.
We recently received a fledgling downy woodpecker — about 4 weeks old — into our care. The young DOWO (abbreviation for downy woodpecker) was struck by a car, and presented with head trauma.
After
some rest and a bit of medication, the DOWO has made a full recovery. But since he’s still a youngster, we’re hand-feeding him on the hour as his mom would in the wild. We’ve also given him a small log stuffed with a protein-packed combo of peanut butter and meal worms — a woodpecker favorite! He’ll be released to the wild once he’s a bit older and more self-sufficient.
He's a she!