Woodpeckers at My Birdfeeders

Why are there so few?

A male Red-bellied Woodpecker at the suet feeder. Photo by Bruce Stambaugh

It’s been a slow winter for feeding birds. Both the number of birds and the kind of species coming to my birdfeeders are down.

I have my suspicions, but I’m not exactly sure why. It could be the two roaming black cats that wait stealthily for lunch. Or it could be the loss of cover. My neighbor cut down two mature trees on our property line. Or it…