365Caws is now in its 14th year of publication, and was originally intended to end after 365 days. It has sometimes been difficult for me to find new material, particularly during the winter months, but now as I enter my own twilight years, I cannot guarantee that I will be able to provide daily posts. It is my hope that along the way I may have inspired someone to a greater curiosity about the natural world. If so, I can rest, content in the knowledge that my work here has been done.
Wednesday, November 23, 2016
You Know The Drill
Day 41: You know the drill...or do you? Can you identify who's been pecking your trees by looking at the holes? Red-Breasted Sapsucker (frequently misidentified as a "red-headed woodpecker" by novice birders) typically drills horizontal lines of evenly spaced holes as shown in the image on the left. Contrary to common belief, Sphyrapicus ruber can't be blamed for killing trees. These birds are drawn to wood which has already been weakened by other stresses (disease, drought, detrimental bugs). Although the name suggests that these birds might feed exclusively on sap, it has been shown that they often drill holes without feeding, and return later to dine on the insects which are drawn to the exudate. Sapsucker likes his bugs sweetened!
Labels:
birds,
feeding habits,
Longmire,
MORA,
Red-Breasted Sapsucker,
Sphyrapicus ruber,
vine maple
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