December 2019

Publications
Watching Backyard Birds

December 2019

There's a lot to love in the December 2019 issue of WBB! Contributor Alvah Sanborn profiles the yellow-bellied sapsucker and explains why this clown of the woods more than deserves a second look. Last winter, in an attempt to attract a wider variety of bird species to his yard, BWD's Bruce Wunderlich added suet feeders to his backyard feeding stations. It worked! Read his observations of his "new neighbors," the woodpeckers. Also, author, artist, and naturalist Julie Zickefoose recounts stories of sharp-shinned hawks hunting songbirds in her backyard. In a funny way, she's rooting for both hunter and prey. Find all this and more in WBB!

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Issue Features

Species Profile: A Different Drummer: Listening to Sapsuckers by Alvah Sanborn

Watcher at the Window: The Delicate Dance Between Diner and Dinner by Julie Zickefoose

Readers Write: Refections on an Unwanted Deposit by Gene James

My Backyard: My Neighbors, the Woodpeckers by Bruce Wunderlich

Bad Weather, Good Birds by Eirik A.T. Blom

Ask Birdsquatch

Short Stories from Al by Al Batt

The Winter of My Mockingbird by Jackie Berkebile

Sapsuckers are among the most interesting of the woodpeckers, with a unique niche in the woods and in the web of life. Contributor Alvah Sanborn explains why this bird more than deserves a second look. Photo by D. Sherony / Wikimedia.

Departments

Editor's Note
Bird Bites: Woodpecker Tidbits

Did You Know? Most woodpeckers have an X-shaped footprint. Also, they have nostril feathers to prevent inhalation of wood particles as they chisel. Discover other fascinating facts in this issue of WBB! Downy woodpecker (female) photo by Bruce Wunderlich.