It's amazing to me how a long walk in a natural setting can make the problems and issues of the human world fade and seem less important. That has been much needed as of late as 2020 has so far been a pretty miserable year. The Muskeg Meadows Nature Preserve has often provided the needed respite from the insanity and fearmongering that has been 2020 to date with its impressive population of animals.
A few days ago while we were taking an after work walk, we came upon a willow tree that was being tapped by a Red Breasted Sapsucker. We stopped to get some photos of the colorful bird but did not realize that we were about to experience a very entertaining nature story.
A few days ago while we were taking an after work walk, we came upon a willow tree that was being tapped by a Red Breasted Sapsucker. We stopped to get some photos of the colorful bird but did not realize that we were about to experience a very entertaining nature story.
These orderly holes bored into the bark of this willow are the signature of a foraging sapsucker, many a tree displays the almost artistic scarification left by these hungry suckers.
Many years ago I was fortunate enough to witness a phenomenon that answered, at least in part, a question I had had for a long time regarding the Rufous Hummingbirds that migrate here much earlier than seems necessary or wise for such a small, delicate, and energy dependent bird. The hummingbirds arrive here in April which is a time of year when it is still cold and winter has only very recently departed. There are no nectar producing flowers yet, not many insects, really nothing I could think of that could sustain these little birds so early in the year and make it worth leaving their warm winter homes for the cold north. It was a mystery that I was really, really curious about and pondered over every year when the first hummers would show up.
It was a Red Breasted Sapsucker (RBS) that answered this question for me and at least partially solved the mystery of what keeps the hummingbirds humming in the very early spring.
While walking a nearby trail one April, I came across an RBS foraging on a trailside willow. I watched it for a few moments until it flew off to another tree further away but was quickly replaced at the trailside willow by a hummingbird. The hummingbird hovered at the newly created holes weeping willow sap and proceeded to reap the rewards of the RBS's work. Mystery solved!! I was very excited and awed by the efficiency and glory of the natural world. I have since seen this commensal partnership many times and every time I wonder at the relationship between these two birds.
This recent RBS added some interesting and enlightening chapters to that older story as I learned that it isn't only hummingbirds who benefit from these pretty birds. After this particular RBS left for another tree, some smaller birds quickly flew into the willow and made their way to the oozing sap. The resident warblers also seem to enjoy the fruits of the RBS's labor.
The above picture was a really cool bird sighting despite the obvious fact that I had my camera in black and white mode from a few days before. This is a Cedar Waxwing which is pretty rare to see here so was a total surprise when I saw it chasing insects through the bushes.
Many years ago I was fortunate enough to witness a phenomenon that answered, at least in part, a question I had had for a long time regarding the Rufous Hummingbirds that migrate here much earlier than seems necessary or wise for such a small, delicate, and energy dependent bird. The hummingbirds arrive here in April which is a time of year when it is still cold and winter has only very recently departed. There are no nectar producing flowers yet, not many insects, really nothing I could think of that could sustain these little birds so early in the year and make it worth leaving their warm winter homes for the cold north. It was a mystery that I was really, really curious about and pondered over every year when the first hummers would show up.
It was a Red Breasted Sapsucker (RBS) that answered this question for me and at least partially solved the mystery of what keeps the hummingbirds humming in the very early spring.
While walking a nearby trail one April, I came across an RBS foraging on a trailside willow. I watched it for a few moments until it flew off to another tree further away but was quickly replaced at the trailside willow by a hummingbird. The hummingbird hovered at the newly created holes weeping willow sap and proceeded to reap the rewards of the RBS's work. Mystery solved!! I was very excited and awed by the efficiency and glory of the natural world. I have since seen this commensal partnership many times and every time I wonder at the relationship between these two birds.
This recent RBS added some interesting and enlightening chapters to that older story as I learned that it isn't only hummingbirds who benefit from these pretty birds. After this particular RBS left for another tree, some smaller birds quickly flew into the willow and made their way to the oozing sap. The resident warblers also seem to enjoy the fruits of the RBS's labor.
This is a male Yellow Rumped Warbler, Dendroica coronata. According to my field guide, this is the Audubon subspecies to be specific. Silly bird nerds!!
This guy is an Orange Crowned Warbler, Vermivora celata. I don't know where its orange crown is or why this species is named in this way as my field guide describes this bird as "dingy, greenish yellow with no distinct markings". I guess Dingy Warbler isn't very flattering but come on biologists, why be so misleading with the name. Why not Green Warbler or Yellow Green Warbler at least?
These sugary sapsucker wounds don't just provide energy to other birds, this greedy little guy barged right in and scared away the warblers until we decided he had had enough and then ran him off.
On a different day here at the nature preserve, I saw a squirrel try to attack an RBS. The RBS was low on a nearby tree to the tree the squirrel was in when the squirrel jumped from its tree right at the RBS. The RBS flew away safely and I guess I don't know for sure if this was a deliberate attack or just coincidence, but squirrels have predatory tendencies sometimes and that one might have wanted to add some variety to its diet.
This Hairy Woodpecker was not eating sap from the willow but was a cool bird sighting for me on a different day near the same spot. These woodpeckers aren't common here so seeing one close enough to get some photos was nice.
The above picture was a really cool bird sighting despite the obvious fact that I had my camera in black and white mode from a few days before. This is a Cedar Waxwing which is pretty rare to see here so was a total surprise when I saw it chasing insects through the bushes.
A couple more of the Red Winged Blackbird.
And, as a reminder, what I call the Muskeg Meadows Nature Preserve is also the Muskeg Meadows Golf Course where deer, porcupines, and the occasional bear usually outnumber the golfers.
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