![\"aspen](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/aspen-with-nest-holes-1790b-ron-dudley.jpg\")
<\/p>\nI’ve returned home from my Montana\/Idaho camping trip and overall the trip was spectacular but the good times were tempered by a nasty surprise on my first day there.<\/p>\n
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Many readers will likely recall the “Glory Hole Aspen” in Clark County, Idaho because I’ve been photographing birds at this tree since May of 2014 and posting them on my blog. It’s a special tree because it’s loaded with active nesting cavities excavated by, used by or competed for by\u00a0multiple species, including Williamson’s Sapsuckers, Northern Flickers,\u00a0Mountain Bluebirds, Red-breasted Nuthatches, House Wrens and Tree Swallows.<\/p>\n
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![\"williamson's](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/williamsons-sapsucker-0939-ron-dudley.jpg\")
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I took this image in June\u00a0of 2014 as a mated pair of Williamson’s Sapsuckers fed ants to their chicks in one of the many cavities of the aspen. The bill of the male on the left is full of ants and the female has just\u00a0delivered a load of them so she’s about to leave the cavity.<\/p>\n
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![\"northern](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/northern-flicker-7509-ron-dudley.jpg\")
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I photographed this Northern Flicker about six weeks ago at the same tree. It was enlarging the same cavity that had been used the previous year\u00a0by\u00a0the pair of sapsuckers in the previous photo. This tree has\u00a0likely been a\u00a0treasure for birds for\u00a0umpteen years\u00a0– literally a nursery for multiple species.<\/p>\n
But it no longer exists.<\/p>\n
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![\"nest](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/nest-cavity-aspen-stump-5456-ron-dudley.jpg\")
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This is what greeted me six days ago when I visited the tree. The aspen had been chopped down – evidence at the scene suggested that an axe had been used initially and then the tree was pulled or pushed over. When it landed the impact broke the brittle fungus-infested\u00a0wood into sections…<\/p>\n
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![\"nest](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/nest-cavity-aspen-5410-ron-dudley.jpg\")
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which were then dragged to a nearby camping site, probably for use\u00a0as firewood (as you can see it had been raining and cold). Here you can see several of the nesting cavities in this section and the upside down “2004” that someone had carved into the bark.<\/p>\n
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![\"nest](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/nest-cavity-aspen-5413-ron-dudley.jpg\")
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At least one of the cavities contained broken eggs. I reached in and retrieved a piece of\u00a0debris-covered\u00a0eggshell and placed it above the hole for this photo (the blue fabric is my blue jeans).<\/p>\n
I was devastated by this turn of events – partially for selfish reasons (after all I’m a bird photographer) but mostly for the birds themselves. I was so angry I could’ve spit, or worse. Destroying this tree containing active nests\u00a0was an illegal and\u00a0unethical act. Several of the cavities were roughly at eye level while the tree was standing\u00a0and I’m quite confident that the idiots responsible were well\u00a0aware of their presence before they cut it down.<\/p>\n
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But at this point there was nothing constructive to do about it and I was determined not to let the stupidity and\u00a0callous actions of my own species ruin my\u00a0entire trip so for the next several days\u00a0we looked hard for another nesting tree.<\/p>\n
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![\"northern](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/northern-flicker-nest-cavity-1449-ron-dudley.jpg\")
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Finding nest cavities in aspens isn’t easy but there are some\u00a0techniques that increase the chances of success and listening for singing wrens is one of them. Wrens are secondary cavity nesters which means they use cavities excavated by other species. If you find wrens in the spring and early summer you’re likely to find multiple active\u00a0cavities in the area.<\/p>\n
But for\u00a0me the best visual clue\u00a0for finding a\u00a0flicker or sapsucker cavity is looking for the discolored area below any dark spot that may appear to be a hole from a distance. This discolored\u00a0area is caused by the stiff tail feathers\u00a0of the woodpecker as it clings to the cavity entrance. When we eventually found this hole we knew that it had been an active nesting cavity at some point but didn’t know if it was active now.<\/p>\n
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![\"northern](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/northern-flicker-9941-ron-dudley.jpg\")
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But eventually this male Northern Flicker showed up and removed fecal sacs of its young from within the hole (notice the placement of its tail-tip in the middle of the discolored area).<\/p>\n
Because of lighting angles and other issues this cavity and the flickers using it were very difficult to photograph well\u00a0but I had one chance for an image I’ve been after for a very long time – a flicker in flight showing off its spectacular wing color.<\/p>\n
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![\"northern](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/northern-flicker-1494b-ron-dudley.jpg\")
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\u00a0\u00a01\/2500, f\/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II Canon<\/em> EF500mm f\/4L IS II USM, not baited, set up or called in<\/strong><\/p>\n And I got it in a single shot that I like pretty well (the face could be a little sharper)\u00a0as the male exited the cavity. I enjoy the color on both wings and the look at the stiff spines at the end of the tail that help to brace the bird against the tree as it clings to the\u00a0outside of the cavity.<\/p>\n But I’ll tell you what. I’d trade this shot in a heartbeat to have that nesting tree back. For the birds…<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n Note: When photographing birds anywhere near\u00a0nests I’m very careful not to disturb them.\u00a0I shoot from within my pickup, I use a\u00a0supertelephoto lens so I don’t have to get close and if I notice any signs of disturbance I immediately leave the area.\u00a0 And I’m nearly always shooting in an area where the birds have been acclimated to the presence of vehicles and human activity. <\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I’ve returned home from my Montana\/Idaho camping trip and overall the trip was spectacular but the good times were tempered by a nasty surprise on my first day there.<\/p>\n