Backyard 2/22--Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

For almost two months I've been keeping an eye out whenever I was walking in the woods--Manahawkin, Whitesbog, Colliers Mills, Assunpink, etc--but, be it ever so humble, there's no place like your own backyard to find (finally) a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. 

Our roof neighbor called to tell us there were bluebirds in the backyard which he was excited to see. Bluebirds are notable for our backyard, but not as surprising as he thinks. He associates them with summertime, so to find them in winter really lifted him up. I didn't tell him that I'd seen one yesterday sitting practically in front of his window. I thought perhaps I'd get a picture of one of the bluebirds but the really beautiful male that was sitting on a branch flew up and off. Looking up, though, what should I see but the sapsucker, poking holes in a big pitch pine. Yes! Year bird, county bird. 

Sapsuckers always bring me back to my working days when, on the phone with a vendor, chatting, "building the relationship," our talk would turn to hobbies and I would say birding (or "birdwatching" to them). More than once one of them said, "And have you seen a Yellow-bellied Sapucker?" with an emphasis on the "suck." Yes, I'd reply, and there are birds with a lot funnier names than that, now about that truckload of paper that's late to the press you lying incompetent sunuvabitch. So much for the relationship. 

I had more than 5 hours to watch backyard birds since snow, then rain brought me home early from birding a couple spots in Burlco. Fortunately, today is one of my Feederwatch days, so I'll have a good list to enter tomorrow. 18 species in our backyard. There are times I walk for miles in a WMA and don't come close to that number of species. 

They were: 

Mourning Dove  6

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker  1    

Red-bellied Woodpecker  1

Downy Woodpecker  1

Carolina Chickadee  3

Tufted Titmouse  2

Red-breasted Nuthatch  1     Irruption

White-breasted Nuthatch  2

Carolina Wren  1

European Starling  2

Eastern Bluebird  3     Occasionally we get one but 3 is notable

House Finch  3

Pine Siskin  8     Irruption

American Goldfinch  2

Fox Sparrow  1     Here since the snowstorm

Dark-eyed Junco  8

White-throated Sparrow  1

Northern Cardinal  3     Sunflower chip feeders

Look closely (or click for a larger version) and you can see the bluebird perched above the suet cage dead center. 
Hard to take a photo on a rainy day through a window that hasn't been cleaned since Hector what a pup.