Red-bellied Woodpecker

There is only a slight red patch on the belly of these woodpeckers in which they are named. This is a male pictured who can be identified by the red forehead cap. The female has just a splash of red on her head. I can hear this fellow coming across the field before I see him. He arrives daily to check out the suet feeders and sometimes hangs around in the large maple trees here. The Red-bellied will tap loudly on metal gutters, aluminum roofs and even vehicles to attract a mate. The sad part is the European Starlings will evict these and other woodpeckers from their nests. This is alarming because of hundreds of Starlings that show up here. This past summer there was a female with him, but I have only seen this one showing up.