Hairy woodpeckers celebrated the New Year by burrowing down through the snow to gorge on buried suet. Four males and a female took turns. 
Hairy woodpecker male by holesEach male was identifiable by the black line that runs down through the red patch on the back of the head—a wide black line, no black line, a narrow black line, and a partial black line. The female has no red.
Female - no line on headIt was 12°F, so pecking wasn’t easy. They mostly chipped small pieces off the suet, but whenever a piece too big to swallow broke off, the woodpecker would carry it to the right-sized hole in a dead white pine, stuff it in to hold the suet in place as it pounded bite-sized pieces off. They all knew to do that.
The tree they brought the pieces to is the dead white pine that Lily Fans helped cut the top off a couple years ago. The remaining part of that tree is still doing its part for bears, squirrels, and woodpeckers without being a hazard that could fall on the Wildlife Research Institute cabin. Thank you.
The photo of the male perched by the woodpecker holes (above right) in that white pine shows the white outer tail feather that says it is a hairy, not a downy. Downies usually have black bars on that feather.
Male showing black line on head
Otherwise, it was a day at the desk.
Happy New Year to all.
Thank you for all you do.
Lynn Rogers, Biologist, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center