I’ve watched a pair of Red-bellied Woodpeckers thrive in our neighborhood for more than five years. They don’t seem to be the slightest bit daunted by the extreme winters we’ve been battling recently. The male likes the “Woodpecker Mix” I use in the peanut feeders and always carefully extracts and eats the dried fruit before moving on to the peanuts. The female prefers to snatch seeds and nuts from the hopper feeders and fly away.
Word must have gotten out that this is a pretty nice place to live because lately the cool, March air is full of Red-bellied Woodpecker calls. I’ve watched males fly over our house numerous times, darting and diving at one another. I’ve also witnessed plenty of tree-trunk chase scenes.
I don’t know how much territory a Red-bellied Woodpecker prefers. Perhaps I will never see more than one pair at our feeders, but it’s fun watching them duke it out.