Persistent Woodpecker
But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded. 2 Chronicles 15:7 (NIV)
Red-bellied woodpeckers are picturesque in the bird world, especially in the snow. They are plentiful here at our feeders and they are fun to watch. On a quiet day, their rat-a-tat-tatting on the trees lets us know they have not gone far. However bright and beautiful they may appear, their habits are harmful to the trees. Aline Alexander Newman (All God’s Creatures) shares her lesson learned from this bird.
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A red-bellied woodpecker has been visiting our bird feeder. It’s the first one I’ve ever seen, and I think he’s beautiful. The slight blush on his belly, for which he was named, is hard to see, but the bright red cap on his head really stands out. I can identify him perched amid the leafless branches of our lilac bush, when many other birds don’t show up as well.
But it isn’t only his appearance that attracts my attention. It’s also his behavior. First of all, most of the birds—including the blue jays, red-winged blackbirds, mourning doves, evening grosbeaks, chickadees, and goldfinches—appear in flocks. Even the cardinals, downy woodpeckers, hairy woodpeckers, and nuthatches appear in pairs. But the red-bellied woodpecker always comes alone.
Unlike other woodpeckers, he didn’t know how to grip our suet feeder and eat at the same time. The poor bird tried clinging to the feeder pole and stretching to the hanging suet rack. But his weight made the suet feeder swing, and he couldn’t get a nibble. He also tried hanging upside down on the block of suet, but his head feel too far below the feeder for him to eat. If I only could go outside and show him what to do. But obviously, I couldn’t. Days passed, but the persistent bird didn’t quit.
As for me, I’m a freelance writer, and I was struggling to write a magazine piece for kids. Frustrated at my inability to get the words right, I wandered into the kitchen for a cup of tea. That’s when I looked out the window and saw the red-bellied woodpecker again. To my delight, he was eating. He had learned to hold onto the suet feeder with his feet, stay upright and peck at his food.
I returned to my computer feeling inspired. If that woodpecker could stick to his work until he succeeded, so could I. And I did.
Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers, you cannot be successful or happy. —Norman Vincent Peale