Over time we develop habits. Habits help us negotiate the world without being overloaded with thousands of everyday decisions. While birding my habits are to attempt to:
- Move silently,
- Listen intently,
- Scan the trees and sky, and also
- Investigate any flashes of peripheral movement.
On March 30th, my approach came up short. While walking a well-used path inside the Arboretum I inadvertently surprised a Pileated Woodpecker. It had been hidden to me while feeding on the far side of a tree. When I came around the tree, which was located very close to the path, the woodpecker exploded off the ground in a flurry of wings. For a split second, we were side-by-side. The startled bird flew about 40 feet and landed on a Red Alder snag. It was directly in front of me and once again right next to the trail.
As soon as I comprehended the situation, I froze. I was nearly halfway between the bird and its starting point. If I continued forward I would almost certainly flush the bird again. If I moved backward I would be moving toward what attracted it in the first place. Neither option felt optimal. I wondered, What was in the best interest of the woodpecker?
Mired in my indecision, I simply stood silent and watched. The woodpecker processed the situation faster than I did. It flew to a second tree and then to a third. In the process, it simply circled around me while moving back to its starting point. I was still surprised when it settled back on the ground, above the small piece of decaying wood, and continued to feed. Apparently, there were particularly tasty creatures hidden in the fallen chunk of the tree.
Since the bird had already resumed its previous "normal" behavior, I continued to stand silent and stationary.
Alternately, he would strike the wood from a right-handed position...
I have been watching our local pair of Pileated Woodpeckers for over ten years. I suspect this adult male is the bird I have been calling, Chip.
This time of year, during the breeding season, Chip's plumage is at its brightest, with a crisp delineation between the red, white, and black. I find his colors just as striking as his actions.
Soon, his mate should be laying eggs in their newest nest. Once that occurs, the parents will take turns incubating, and protecting the site. While one is on eggs, the other will take the opportunity to find food. This means that during Spring there will generally be half as many Pileated Woodpeckers out and about during the day - as compared to most of the rest of the year. (Pileated Woodpeckers are non-migratory, year-round residents.)
On the other hand, since the parents will have half as much time to feed, they should be twice as hungry and possibly more easily observed. I am hoping that in the future my observations will be from a greater distance and won't interrupt their feeding.
Curiously, from what I have read, it is the male who normally spends the night in the nest.
After a few more minutes of feeding Chip flew to a new tree and then on to another.
By the way, the red "malar" stripe on his cheek is black on a mature female Pileated Woodpecker.
Chip worked his way to the top of a snag. While vertically ascending the trunk of a tree woodpeckers will seem to momentarily "rest" on their tails. If you watch closely, for a split second both feet will spring upward while they utilize the tail to resist gravity. Using this three-point maneuver they hitch their way up. Often, when they reach the top they will look around in every direction, pick their next destination, and then make a direct, nonstop flight, to their goal.
A few minutes later, Chip was once again feeding close to the ground while inside the decomposing stump of a Willow tree.
Soon he moved onto a nearby piece of the fallen willow, which had been cut and rolled to the side to reopen the trail. He used his tongue to explore the feeding opportunities. I understand that the tip of the tongue is barbed to help remove ants and their larva from the small holes that the insects have eaten in the decomposing wood.
It seems almost ironic that dead trees become critical infrastructure for life. Carpenter ants, who feed on dead trees, are considered the Pileated Woodpecker's favorite meal. Plus, the soft decaying wood in standing snags allows the woodpeckers, nuthatches, chickadees, and others to excavate their critically needed nest sites. Creatures, who are incapable of excavating their own nests, including squirrels, wood ducks, owls, and others, often reuse the sites built by the Pileated Woodpeckers. It is appropriate to consider woodpeckers (and maybe also standing dead trees) as keystone species because of the multiple benefits their respective, efforts and existence provide.
For a slightly different but incredibly important take on keystone plants and trees, I would suggest "Nature's Best Hope" by Douglas Tallamy.
Ultimately, Chip began feeding on a decaying log.
While searching for food, woodpeckers help to distribute decomposing chunks of woody debris that are essential for a healthy ecosystem. This is particularly true when the wood is from Red Alder trees. When Red Alders decompose they provide nitrogen (and other nutrients) to plants and trees. This is especially helpful for those florae that are unable to obtain nitrogen on their own.
After about seven minutes of feeding Chip became aware of something passing overhead. I believe it was a Bald Eagle.
He leaped onto the trunk of a neighboring tree. His upturned crest feathers demonstrated his concern. The tree trunk provided cover. His body remained very still, while his head briefly flicked around to the right or the left. He was apparently hiding - while also tracking the progress of the overhead threat.
At times, he scrunched his head down, as if to make himself as small as possible, while waiting for the danger to pass.
Once he felt safe, he returned to the log on the ground.
However, he continuously interrupted his feeding to keep an eye on the sky.
Pileated Woodpeckers, weigh less than a pound. Not only would they make a nice meal for an eagle, but owls, ravens, hawks, and even coyotes would be happy to consume them. While feeding on a log on the ground, if a Pileated Woodpecker forgets to be watchful, even an off-leash dog could easily edit the woodpecker gene pool.
While he was working, we both noticed a pair of American Crows passing back and forth overhead. The crows were making supply runs to their nest site. Suddenly, one changed course and made a bee-line for Chip's log. I have no doubt that the crow knew Chip was finding food. For a split second, I wondered if the crow was going to try its hand (or beak) at securing carpenter ant larva.
Instead, the crow chose to pick up nesting material.
It acquired a beak-full before re-evaluating.
For reasons known only to the crow, it decided the material was unfit or unneeded. It dropped everything and flew off in the direction of its nest site. Sadly, at this point Chip had been interrupted one too many times and he abandoned the area as well.
On Monday, six days later, while following the sound of a Pileated call, I spotted the female on a log next to the new Loop Trail in the Arboretum.
Notice her forehead and her malar stripes are black, unlike Chip's.
She was also interrupted her feeding to search the skies while she fed.
Sometimes, her observations were fairly subtle...
If this pair is on the same schedule as last year their nest should be nearly complete. Goldie, the female, should be almost ready to lay eggs, and the incubation period should be about to begin. If they continue to behave as they have in the past, somewhere in the Montlake area, there is a dead or dying Red Alder tree, with a freshly cut egg-shaped entrance hole.
We may, or may not, have missed the last chance to see Chip throwing wood out of the nest site - as he did in this photo from March 31st, 2020. However, there should still be time to see the parents making their tag-team incubation hand-offs. If we can locate their newest nest site.
Plus, if we are lucky, sometime in May, and definitely by early June, there should be young visible in the nest.
Have a great day on Union Bay...where nature lives in the city!
Larry
Going Native:
Each of us, who breathe the air and drink the local water, needs to watch and protect our local environment. Native plants and trees encourage the largest diversity of lifeforms because of their long intertwined history with our local environment and native creatures. I have been told that even the microbes in the soil are native to each local landscape. I hope we can inspire ourselves, our neighbors, and local businesses to respect native flora and to support native wildlife at every opportunity. I have learned that our most logical approach to native trees and plants (in order of priority) should be to:
1) Learn and leave established native flora undisturbed.2) Remove invasive species and then wait to see if native plants begin to grow without assistance. (When native plants start on their own, then these plants or trees are likely the most appropriate flora for the habitat.)3) Scatter seeds from nearby native plants in a similar habitat.4) If you feel you must add a new plant then select a native plant while considering how the plant fits with the specific habitat and understanding the plant's logical place in the normal succession of native plants.
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New:
My friend Elaine Chuang shared several resources (that were new to me) from the January Washington Ornithological Society meeting. The major new concept is that specific keystone native plants enable critical moths and caterpillars that in turn provide food for the great majority of birds, especially during the breeding season. Here are the top two links from her list.
Native Keystone Plants for Wildlife:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5cXccWx030
Resources for adding plants to your Pacific Northwest Garden:
https://wos.org/wos-wp/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/native-plant-resources-v2.pdf
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Click Here to access a King County publication that explains the best placement for a wide variety of native plants. It looks quite helpful.
Also, my friend Tom Brown pointed out that the application named 'Wildflower Search' is very helpful. Click on the highlighted link to see for yourself.
Also, Jane Lundin has created a small package, with a lot of critical information that looks quite handy, and light, for backpacking in the mountains in Springtime. It is titled, Mountain Wildflowers of Washington.)
Another idea that integrates perfectly with living in harmony with nature is the concept of Forest Gardening. Native Americans collected and nurtured dense multi-layered gardens of native herbs, plants, shrubs, and trees that produced food and herbal medicines. Even after 150 years of no maintenance, the gardens are essentially intact and the diversity of life remains significantly higher than in the surrounding forests. Click Here to learn more.
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In the area below it is my intention to display at least one photo each week to help challenge us to know the difference between native and non-native lifeforms.
Is this currently blooming shrub native to our area? If so, which one is it?
Scroll down for the answer.
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Red Elderberry: Yes, it is native to our area.
In this 2017 photo, Goldie can be seen feeding Red Elderberries to her young.
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The Email Challenge:
In response, I have set up my own email list. With each post, I will manually send out an announcement. If you would like to be added to my personal email list please send me an email requesting to be added. Something like:
Larry, I want to see more of nature. Please add me to your personal email list.
Thank you for your patience and interest!
Another common issue is losing your input while attempting to leave a comment on this blog. Often everything functions fine, however, sometimes people are unable to make it past the robot-detection challenge or maybe it is the lack of a Google account. I am uncertain about the precise issue. Sadly, a person can lose their comment with no recovery recourse.
My email address is:
LDHubbell@comcast.net
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The Comment Challenge:
Bottom Line:
If you write a long comment, please, copy it before hitting enter. Then, if the comment function fails to record your information, you can send the comment directly to me using email.
My email address is:
LDHubbell@comcast.net
Sincerely,
Larry
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A Final Photo:
Keep it up , Larry .These. are great. . Perhaps your best
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