We have had hummingbird feeders in use for many years. Only hummingbirds have ever visited these feeders. This year we have a downy woodpecker that has developed a taste for the sugar water and visits a few times a day. Has anyone ever seen or heard of this happening?
Dan I don't think it's just Humming Birds that like the sugar water since I have seen Wrens and various finches visit the feeders I have hanging along with Brown Bats.
Once the Bats get a sweet tooth they will empty a feeder nightly and you have to remove it to get rid of them.
Sapsuckers drink sap and eat the insects attracted to the sap so it doesn’t seem too much of a stretch for other woodpeckers to do the same, especially if ants and flies drown in the sugar water