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feeder riddle solved when hairy woodpecker is spotted the tribune wednesday september 6 1989 p7 by art briggsjude correspondent we should have guessed there was something unusual going on when the syrup in our humm ingbird feeders began to disap pear at a faster rate than normal even the recent appearance of many additional young birds did not seem to justify this increased usage while we were wrestling with this dilemma another loss involving the hummingbird dispenser itself occurred while over the years our hum- mingbird feeders grew in numbers three to take care of the increasing hummingbird population it was last summers wasp plague that caused us to change the design the model we now use has the capacity to hold two cups of sugar water solution and four dispensing stations complete with perches it is these small imitation flowers with their central feeding hole that seems to discourage the hordes of hornets that plagued the previous units when several of these yellow plastic florets went missing it posed an even bigger mystery than the increas ed syrup consumption our first thought was that they had dropped out during one of the fillingup routines especially when the missing pieces were located below the feeder press ing them back into place proved photo art briggsjude this hairy woodpecker was caught in the act of helping itself to a sweet treat in a feeder offered to smaller birds to be such a snap fit it seemed likely that more than a humm ingbirds strength would be re quired to remote them was it a squirrel tightroping across the balcony that pawed the little fake flowers out in our absence if so it had to be a noc turnal flying squirrel because no blacks greys or reds had been seen near the house lately maybe it was a prowling rac coon that tiptoed along the balcony under cover of darkness fur wendi and allan bacon were married aug 11 at the first baptist churofc dartmouth nova scotia wend is the daughter of oh and mrs robert fraser 6 dartmouth and allan is the son of mr and mrs ddugfas sacoij of stoufhritle wendi is on staff of the royal bank kitchener and allan 1 on fie teaching stgff of waterloo collegiate and fingered out the plastic petals raccoons do like the sweet hummingbird feeder mix as one of our friends on crosby lake found out last year during repeated visits to their hummingbird feeder this black- masked bandit would reach out from a nearby tree limb and tip the container to drink the sweet juice alas like a lot of gamblers this furry individual decided to go for the whole pot and ended up on the ground one night surrounded by all its shattered sweet dreams despite the increase in the syrup consumption and the con tinued removal of the small yellow flowers the cause for these happenings at our place re mained a riddle we were near- ing a full week of not solving the puzzle when during a mid- morning coffee break we caught the culprit bellying up to the sweet bar can you imagine our surprise when a hairy woodpecker alighted on the pedestal below the hummingbird feeder and pro ceeded to gobble up the tiny safari of ants that were moving along there those ants must have left a bit ter taste in the woodpeckers mouth because the next instant it had climbed to the feeder itself and was busy sucking up the sweet liquid the little floret however was designed for the small tongue of the hummingbird and the woodpecker was experiencing some difficulty in getting enough volume to supply its wants being a driller and a pecker by profes- sion it didnt take the woodpecker long to thrust the tip of its sharp bill into the tiny hole and extract the plastic flower with this restrainer out of the way the larger bird could then get a kingsized drink while operating hummingbird feeders over the years weve had on occasion an oriole sam ple our offerings and have had several reports this year of house finches visiting them but this woodpecker has more than a sweet tooth and by its antics seems to be living up to its name no wonder they call it the hairy woodpecker the quitters cupboard alice colbv fabrics quilting supplies books patterns lessons t workshops handcrafted country gifts tues saj 930530 sandy hook m rr2 uxbrkfge onl 416 8523617 iavmer azcrik gardens inc garden center iwau stouffvul bom i i i iln uajoa ke3ee2ewc 6405080 main st stouffvitfe mon fri 7 am to 7 pm sat 7 am to 6 pm sunday 9 am to 5 pm weeping pea shrubs be sure of dry firewood buy now we also carry garden tools clay pots potting soil loam triple mix top soj rr ties bark chips gardening gloves peat moss pine garden mulch seeds patio slabs fertilizer gravel retaining walls curbs unbock pavers limestone screening sand portland cement masonry cement we deliver 1990 strawberry festival plans begin a new executive has been elected to carry on the strawberry festival tradition new members chosen to head up plans for the 1990 festival are pat ratcliffe and jim heidema as cochairs gary fisher as past chairman jim kidd as fundraiser and marlane mckee wetherall as town liaison the final wrapup of the 1989 festival and commencement of planning for the 1990 event was held last week in stouffville mrs ratcliffe has been on the committee for five years and has served as its secretary during that time she will cochair with mr heidema in 1990 and will take over as chairman in 1991 and 1992 she and her husband terry have two children adam 8 and tiffany 5 jim heidema has also been on the committee for five years serving in various capacities including public relations chair man and past chairman jim and his wife bonnie have two children paul 12 and christopher 9 the committee is scheduled to meet for its next planning ses sion on monday oct 2 at 730 pm in the boardroom at the recreation centre the new tribune to advertise call susan berry stouffville sybil tinker uxbridge display advertising 6492292 6402100 joan marshman real estate advertising 6492292 6402100 doreen deacon classified advertising 6492292 6402100 fax 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