![\"wouse](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/wouse-wren-9878-ron-dudley.jpg\")
<\/p>\nIn a recent post I mentioned a little trick one can use to locate sapsucker and flicker nest cavities. It really works.<\/p>\n
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After we found our previously reliable cavity tree in sw Montana\u00a0chopped down we started looking for others. We did it by listening for the sounds of singing wrens. One morning we heard them within about 100 yards of our campsite and when we investigated we found this one.<\/p>\n
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![\"house](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/house-wren-9695-ron-dudley.jpg\")
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The cute little wren sang and performed for us but we were really hoping for woodpeckers so we hung around for a while and waited for what might turn up. Wrens are secondary cavity nesters so where you find their cavities you may also find woodpecker cavities.<\/p>\n
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![\"red-naped](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/red-naped-sapsucker-9854-ron-dudley.jpg\")
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And sure enough – in a short time this Red-naped Sapsucker showed up. It turned out that this wasn’t a very good spot to photograph birds because by the time the light reached the trees the sun was high and the light harsh so I’m not particularly proud of any of these three images but they help to make my point.\u00a0The woodpecker-finding\u00a0technique really does work.<\/p>\n
And these birds led us to something else interesting too, on another level…<\/p>\n
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![\"helicopter](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/helicopter-9713-ron-dudley.jpg\")
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While we were photographing these birds five huge, very low-flying and annoyingly loud helicopters passed by overhead. When things like this happen I often fire off a few quick shots for closer inspection later, simply out of curiosity. At first glance this one seems like nothing more than a big bad-ass helicopter flying low over wilderness and creating intense auditory havoc below.<\/p>\n
But a closer look reveals something more.<\/p>\n
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![\"helicopter](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/helicopter-9713-big-crop-ron-dudley.jpg\")
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Someone on the helicopter apparently had a death-wish. This guy (I believe there’s actually two of them) was sitting on the\u00a0end of the open cargo bay door. I hope he was\u00a0tethered safely in somehow because if this\u00a0metal bird had hit some turbulence he might have landed on my pickup. Or my camping trailer…<\/p>\n
I attempted to identify the type of helicopter this is but failed. The closest I came is the CH-47 Chinook but I don’t think that’s it. Does anyone know what it is? I suspect it’s military, partly because there are no visible markings on the aircraft but I suppose it could be used for firefighting too.<\/p>\n
I don’t know squat about helicopters…<\/p>\n
Ron<\/p>\n
Note: If you do use this technique to locate woodpecker cavities please give them the respect they deserve and the space they need\u00a0by not approaching the cavity tree closely and leaving the area if the nesting birds show signs of disturbance.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In a recent post I mentioned a little trick one can use to locate sapsucker and flicker nest cavities. It really works.<\/p>\n