Fantail Frolic

The downy woodpeckers have been rather frisky these past few weeks, fanning their tails, flattening their bodies against tree limbs, dancing and circling up and down tree trunks, all the while chirping and chattering in their own language. I think I’ve witnessed both a mating ritual between male and female, and a territorial challenge between males. Their movements are similar and I’m not experienced enough to differentiate between the two, not yet. It’s certainly entertaining to watch and to photograph. Here is a female displaying her fanned tail. I was unable to capture the male as he flitted all around her. Soon after she flew away • So many asked about the cat food supply in yesterday’s blip. I have not read anything locally despite all stores in the area having depleted shelves; I have read from other sources that the shortage of canned cat food in the US and UK is the result of the pandemic shutting down manufacturing, and it’s also impacted the availability of tin. It started in February and is expected to last through the summer. In the meantime expect limited supply and increased prices. Complicating the situation is increased demand because of people adopting more cats in 2020. It’s all very concerning.