Sapsuckers perform some interesting behaviors during nesting season and the pair I photographed three days ago in the Uinta Mountains was no exception.
1/1600, f/4, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM, not baited, set up or called in
They had chicks in the nest and those chicks produce fecal sacs that must be removed from the cavity for sanitary reasons. And the youngsters (usually about 5 of them) require more room as they grow so the parents apparently enlarge the cavity as more interior room is needed. At this stage of the game that means that both fecal sacs and wood chips must be regularly removed from the cavity.
This is the male with a beak-full of wood chips and a single fecal sac as he emerges from the nest hole.
I noticed a behavior difference between this species and the Williamson’s Sapsuckers I photographed at their nest cavity two years ago. These Red-naped Sapsuckers always flew away with the chips and fecal sacs before disposing of them far away but the Williamson’s Sapsuckers usually just stuck their heads outside the nest hole and dropped them to the ground at the base of the nest tree.
Little behavioral nuances like this always make me wonder about the differing selection pressures that produced them.
Ron
Note: I promised I would update readers on the condition of the young Short-eared Owl we rescued recently from barbed wire when I learned anything new. Blog reader April Olson volunteers at the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Northern Utah (WRCNU) and late last night I heard from April about the condition of the bird. I’m afraid the news isn’t very good.
The owl has extensive damage to the patagialis (a wing muscle/tendon) and will not be releasable to the wild. They are trying to save the wing so the owl can be placed as an education bird.
I was hoping for a better outcome…
I hope this beautiful owl has a long future in education…and a long, healthy, and happy life even if it can’t be in the wild.
Marvelous shot Ron! That’s a big brood,no wonder they need more room.
Charlotte
I’d have claustrophobia in there, Charlotte, even at their size.
Gorgeous photo, Ron! Such detail and perfect lighting, too!
Thank you, Pierre.
Love your pictures. Thanks for the update.
I’m glad I didn’t have to clean up after my kids in that fashion!!
Me too, Stephen (although some of the things I did were almost as bad). It certainly was worth it though.
I am so very sorry about the owl. And echoing everyone else. Rehabilitation and education are much better options then what could have been – but still second best.
Love the Sapsucker image. Is that a silver birch they are nesting in?
It’s an aspen tree, EC. Most sapsuckers I’ve seen nesting do it in aspens – usually older trees that have seen their better days.
Sad about the owl but, hopefully, they can rehab it enough to use for education. The Sapsuckers are interesting and it’s a great shot! 🙂
Thank you, Judy.
Maybe birds are like people. Some are better house keepers and others not so much. It takes more effort to take the garbage to the dump rather than place it outside your door.
On another note.. The goal of wildlife rehabilitation is always to return the animal to the wild. Animals have to be top athletes when released in order to survive. Rehabilitators make the best choices they can for animals not releasable back into the wild. Being an education bird is not a poor life. Education birds are well cared for and loved by their keepers. They make wonderful animal ambassadors to teach the importance of preserving wild habitats and also in making human habitats safer for our wild neighbors. Thank you Ron and Mia for saving the owl, because of you it was saved from a horrific death. The owl has been given a second chance with a new direction in its life.
April, Mia and I only played one of the roles in this owl drama. Mike Shaw and WRCNU also stepped up to the plate. And we appreciate that you’ve kept us informed of the condition of the owl.
If that bird becomes an “educator”, I hope a copy of your photo, showing how it was found accompanies it…pictures can speak so much louder than words….
Now that’s a thought, Patty. A good one too.
Yes Patty, most of our education birds at WRCNU come with similar histories and photos. Their stories are shared with the public in order to educate the public to prevent future injuries.
Good! If you need a high-res copy of one of the images of the owl on the fence just let me know, April.
Than you, I will pass it on to WRCNU.
Glad to hear, that April….Somehow I thought you might do something like that….
Patty, yes it would be splendid for that owl to have a photo of his/her encounter with barbed wire in an educational program! People respond to photos, and at very least, it would inspire the donations that wildlife rehabber/education groups so desperately need to survive. But that image would also burn into their psyche. You can’t unsee stuff like that–or at least most people can’t.
If the WRCNU folk feel that the photos are too graphic for young people to see, the story alone would be of benefit. It’s important to know the kind of damage that barbed wire can do to wildlife…perhaps it will inspire some bright young student inventor to come up with a product that is safer for wildlife but still works for ranchers to contain their livestock. We can hope… I understand what you mean about not being able to unsee images. I have a couple of images burned into my psyche that I certainly wish I could unsee.
I’m so sorry to hear the news about the short-eared owl and I’ll echo what Christine said. While it’s best that wild critters live out their lives in The Great Out There, life in the wild isn’t easy, especially for the youngsters facing life’s challenges for the first time. On the other hand, it’s not a bad outcome to live life as an education bird. From the human perspective, if we’re ever going to create the understanding that’s necessary to share this spinning rock, people must care about those others who live here too. Education is vital to creating that understanding and the opportunity to see the others who share this planet, up close and personal, creates the opportunity to do better now that they know better.
From the owl’s perspective, s/he will never have to go hungry and life just won’t be bad. And that’s especially true for a young one because life as an ed bird becomes its normal life.
In this case, consider the alternatives. Had you and Mia NOT come along or if you had decided not to act, that little owl would have had a hideous end to his/her life. You done good.
As always, thank you SO much for your outstanding photos that give us an amazing window into the lives of the birds/critters you encounter. A couple of days ago, I’d never even heard of Red-Naped Sapsuckers and now, you’ve given me such a wondrous look into their unique behaviors at the nest. Do you really have ANY idea how much magic you share on a daily basis? It’s simply Oh WOW! This is what education is all about. I celebrate you and Mia for your wondrous gifts! Again, thank you!
Thank you for the very kind words, Laura.
Believe me, at this point I’ll be delighted if the owl can be used as an education bird, for the very reasons you mention. It’s the second best outcome possible and much preferable to a miserable death on the wire.
I guess I’m not surprised about the Owl’s wing damage, given that it was tangled in barb wire. I’m hoping that the wing can be saved so that it can be an educational bird, and have at least a half-way decent life. If nothing else, an educational bird can help people fall in love with birds. Great photo of the Sapsucker.
Thanks, Susan. I hope so too.
Great housekeeping photo…that’s quite a beakful! Would love to see what the interior looks like. Sad/happy news about the rescued short-earred…Sad that it can’t ever be released but happy it is still alive…AND that, maybe, it will educate at least a few of those who need that kind of education most….captive birds of any kind, for ANY reason, make me very sad, but, if it changes/saves one life, that’s a big deal…..
Well said, Patty!
Not the outcome you wished for, but if many can see and learn about the Short Eared Owl up close and see what a beautiful creature they are, because you saved him, that’s a great second choice! You and Mia are GREAT!!
Jerry, I just have to remember that the outcome certainly could have been worse…
I am so, so sorry to hear the news about the SEOW that you and Mia rescued. I am thankful though, that you were able to save the young bird from an awful and lonely demise though. One of our campus RTHAs just wound up in the Cornell Wildlife Clinic because of a wing injury, and we are awaiting more news–I can empathize with how you feel, truly.
I wish your red-tail the best of luck, Christine. I know how many folks follow those birds and are very attached to them.
So sad!! But you did your best!! There’s so many people that wouldn’t even have stopped to help the bird. Can you imagine the horrible fate if the owl had just been left to hang there getting more and more tangled.
Yes, I can imagine, Marina. I’ve thought about it often.