Yellow-bellied sapsuckers

An excellent friend saw her first yellow-bellied sapsucker this weekend at the Garden.

It wasn't so long ago that I saw my first confirmation that sapsuckers actually exist (we see their evidence everywhere). I saw a pair last weekend (remarkably), but had seen several at the Garden (with my gardening companion) a couple of weeks ago. He remembered that we saw our first sighting last fall (at the Garden).

A yellow-bellied sapsucker

Not long after I saw two yellow-bellied sapsuckers hopping along a large branch of a big red oak, I spotted a strangely-bobbing shape.

With binoculars, I saw that it was another yellow-bellied sapsucker (I think), clinging to the end of a branch eating some sort of fruits (probably of a vine, but I'm not sure of what it might be).

Earlier this afternoon, I saw mockingbirds feasting on Oriental Bittersweet fruits; not a good thing, as it's invading further south, after spreading throughout the Northeastern U.S.