Inclement weather and lack of light are keeping me from shooting so this morning I decided to post some earlier images of some interesting sapsucker behavior. I’ve posted similar images previously but these are new to my blog.
1/2000, f/6.3, ISO 640, Canon 7D, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM, not baited, set up or called in
These images were taken in Clark County, Idaho this past June as the mated pair of Williamson’s Sapsuckers were raising a brood of chicks in their nest hole in a dead aspen. As the chicks grow the adults excavate the interior of the hole to make it larger and I could often hear them chipping away at the dead wood from my vantage point outside. After a while the adult (here it’s the male) would discard a beak-full of wood chips, either by flying away with them or…
1/2000, f/6.3, ISO 640, Canon 7D, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM, not baited, set up or called in
simply violently shaking his head to disgorge them from his beak and letting them fall to the base of the tree. Here his nictitating membrane is closed to protect his eye from flying chips.
1/4000, f/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM, not baited, set up or called in
The female was also busy with domestic duties. Here she’s leaving the nest hole after delivering a load of ants to the chicks inside. Hoping to see the chicks as they began to fledge I returned to this tree in July but by then they had already dispersed.
A whole host of cavity nesting bird species rely on dead and dying trees for their nest holes but when those “snags” are prematurely removed by man the resource disappears and birds suffer. Thankfully there are organizations like The Cavity Conservation Initiative whose primary goal is to encourage (largely through education) the retention of dead and dying trees for the use of cavity nesters. Recently I donated an image of these sapsuckers excavating their nest hole to the CCI for their educational programs and I encourage others to support them and similar groups and to refrain from clearing out dead and dying trees whenever practical.
Cavity nesters need all the help from us they can get.
Ron
Ron, the first image is just priceless — made me laugh. What a pose and what a capture thereof! I admit I can watch woodpeckers for hours. I’m not often lucky enough to see them close up, but when I hear that tapping, if there’s any chance of a viewing, I will stop to see how they’re coming along with their excavations.
Great series. A parents work is never, ever done. Feeding, cleaning, interior decoration…
The second image reminded me of our German Shepherd’s response to rice. She loved gravy, and would hoover up any left-overs. Clean plates in a nano second. And if the gravy had any rice in it? She blew – and it went everywhere just like those wood chips.
That made me laugh, Elephant’s Child – it gave me a mental image. Knowing me I’d have probably fed her gravy with rice deliberately and then taken pictures, even at the expense of having to clean up the mess…
Love your story! Reminds me of a cat a roommate of mine had many years ago, who loved meatloaf, except the onions. So she always spit out the onions… Animals are smart.
Educational. Thank you! I never even thought about the need to keep the dead trees so that was a good lesson for me.
Arwen, To be perfectly honest I hadn’t thought much about the importance of snags to cavity nesting birds before I spent so much time with these sapsuckers last summer. Since then I often look for nest holes in trees and it’s surprising how many of them there are.
You’re living proof that a lot of the very best education ( and educators ) is/are to be found outside the formal systems–keep up the good work !
Thanks so much, Kris. And speaking of education I loved the way your “is/are” made your sentence agree with both nouns…
I’ve never seen bird photography as interesting as yours, especially in documenting behaviour, and can’t begin to tell you how much I appreciate and enjoy it!!!
What a very nice thing to say, Patty – thank you. And welcome back!
oh so cool!!! great, great captures!!
I’m glad you like them, Lois. Thank you.
Wow! Amazing behavioral shots Ron! Thanks for sharing!
Charlotte
Thank you, Charlotte.