Red-bellies rule!

I read with interest John Thaxton’s column on red-bellied woodpeckers [Birdwatch, March/April 2015].

I live in the southern Adirondack Park in Hadley.

Last year we spotted a pair of red-bellies in our yard. They often came to our feeder and ate only the cracked corn we had mixed in with the sunflower seeds. The male was very aggressive and would only let the female eat after he had finished.

We also have a pair of hairy and downy woodpeckers. They were also fearful of the red-belly. He seemed to rule. We saw him a few times in February, but that was all. I hope he/they come back.

Jean Gettler, Hadley