The Smell of Molten Projects in the Morning

Ed Nisley's Blog: Shop notes, electronics, firmware, machinery, 3D printing, laser cuttery, and curiosities. Contents: 100% human thinking, 0% AI slop.

The New Hotness

  • Red-bellied Woodpecker: Too Heavy!

    A red-bellied woodpecker landed on the seed feeder, but the flapping tells you something’s not right:

    Red-bellied woodpecker at feeder - closing
    Red-bellied woodpecker at feeder – closing

    After the fluttering stopped, the seeds had vanished:

    Red-bellied woodpecker at feeder - puzzled
    Red-bellied woodpecker at feeder – puzzled

    According to our books, a red-bellied woodpecker weighed 72.5 g = 2.6 oz back in 1952. The feeder counterweight reads 3 oz and that’s confirmed by my pull scale. Perhaps woodpeckers suffer from the obesity epidemic, too?

    The feeder closes with one cardinal (44 g) and two tufted titmouses (2 x 22 g), all of whom seem rather surprised at the situation.