For the first time in two and half months Priscilla, the mate of Elvis the Pileated Woodpecker, was seen in the Arboretum. Most likely she has not been seen because she has been spending her time in the nest sitting on eggs. Her young may have just hatched out. Click Here to see her young from last year. You can tell from the way the sawdust is flying that Priscilla seems very hungry and appears happy to be out and about. (By the way Elvis was seen entering the nest the next day and once the young are hatched he tends to do a fair share of the feeding and care.)
She is really focused on the ants or grubs inside this birch tree. She seems to open the tree almost like it was a book.
Priscilla looks different than Elvis because as a female she does not have red on her forehead or on her cheeks, like Elvis. However there is another way they look different. In fact, Priscilla looks different than almost all the Pileated Woodpeckers you see when you do a Google search.
If you are a birder you might want to challenge yourself to find the difference without comparing photos. On the other hand if you are a more casual observer of birds you may want to scroll down to the last full woodpecker photo and take a look at Elvis.
In either case she is a seriously hungry woodpecker. Making eggs must take a lot out of you.
When something gets in the way of her hunger…
…Priscilla has a rather pointed response.
Here are a few more photos just for fun.
Notice how she uses her claw to help pull the bark off the tree.
At times she disappeared into the hole in the tree.
Compare this shot of Priscilla in the Birch tree to...
...Elvis one day earlier on the remains of an Alder tree. Do you see the difference?
(In the birds, although there is a difference in the trees as well. ;-)
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For the last couple of months Eva has been almost constantly sitting in her nest in the Broadmoor Golf Course.
Most of the time only her head was visible sticking out of the nest. Just like with Priscilla, Eva's eggs should be getting ready to hatch, however during the last week Eva has been seen spending a great deal of time away from the nest.
As a matter of fact Eva and Albert have been seen for hours sitting side by side on the 520 light poles.
They have also been seen returning to the nesting tree but they are spending much of their time 15 to 20 feet above the nest in the shade of the foliage. This behavior seems different than in previous years. One would expect Eva to either be sitting on eggs or staying very close to the young eaglets once they leave their shells. In either case she would not normally be hunting much or hanging out on the 520 light poles and Albert would be working his tail off bringing food back to the nest. It seems that after two months of sitting in the nest Eva has given up on this year's eggs. I hope I am proven wrong on this but I find it hard to come to any other conclusion.
The next question is of course why didn't her eggs hatch? I do not know. Could Eva be reaching an age where reproduction becomes more difficult? Could some other creature have destroyed the eggs? If you have knowledge in this area and would like to share it please leave your thoughts in the comments section for everyone to read. Thank you!
On the positive side both eagles are staying close together and returning frequently to the nesting tree. This implies to me that they are still devoted to each other, their Union Bay territory and their nest site. Hopefully they will have better luck next year.
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In response to last week's puzzle concerning native and non-native May flowers here is what I have learned thanks to the Master Gardeners in the Arboretum.
B) Rubis Spectabilis or Salmonberry is a native plant.
C) Rosa Nukana or Nootka Rose is a native plant. (Although my second photo in the "C" section might be a different member of the rose family.)
D) Lonicera Ciliosa or Orange Honeysuckle is a native plant.
E) Rubis Parviflorus or Thimbleberry is a native plant.
F) Physocarpus Capitatus or Pacific Ninebark is a native plant.
G) Ranunculus Occidentalis or Western Buttercup is a native plant.
I) Sambucus or Elderberry is a native plant. Given the cone shape of the flowers this is most likely the red elderberry.
K) Bellis Perennis or English Daisy is a non-native plant.
L) Trillium Ovatum or just Trillium is a native plant.
N) Oxalis Oregana or Wood Sorrel is a native plant.
O) Equestum or Horsetail is a native plant although I do not think it actually qualifies as a May flower.
On most of the non-native plants I have provided links to websites that describe in great detail the negative impacts these plants have on our native environments. There is a tremendous amount of native and non-native life in and around Union Bay.The first step towards preserving our rich Northwest biodiversity is to know which plants to save, purchase or plant. These native plants provide food and shelter to the native birds and creatures, and will help us leave a healthier, richer environment for our children.
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Finally the other difference between Elvis and Priscilla is the color of their eyes.
Elvis has yellow eyes.
Last year Priscilla's eyes were yellow to slightly orange.
While this year her eyes appear to be orange to red. While it could be possible these are two different females both photos were taken within a couple hundred yards during the time of year when Pileated Woodpeckers are most territorial. Plus the white "eyebrow" markings look very similar.
The only reference I can find to red eyes in Pileated Woodpeckers is in Peter Pyle's "Identification Guide to North American Birds, Part 1, Page 204 were he says, "vs deep red in ASY/ATYs" were the codes mean After Second Year and After Third Year. If their eyes all turn red after the second or third year and they can live over ten years then one would expect the majority or at least a fair number of internet photos should show red eyes, but they do not.
In addition I believe I first saw Elvis leaving the nest as an adult, e.g. parent, two years ago which would make him at least three years old (most likely even older) and his eyes do not show any sign of turning red. The other curious part of this puzzle is that most of the photos on the internet are of males, so I am beginning to wonder if it is only the shyer females whose eyes turn red.
In any case it will be fun to watch for a red-eyed Elvis in the coming years.
Have great day on Union Bay…where nature lives in the city!
Larry
