Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2020/06/12

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Subject: [Leica] IMG: Williamson's Sapsucker
From: jhnichols at lighttube.net (Jim Nichols)
Date: Fri, 12 Jun 2020 21:37:05 -0500
References: <37B7914C-8746-439F-9C2C-080B4B544563@earthlink.net>

Nice work, Doug.? Looking at the male, and the opening in the tree, I 
ask myself, "Can that bird pass through that nest hole?"

What say you?

On 6/12/20 9:25 PM, Doug Herr via LUG wrote:
> The Williamson?s Sapsucker is a woodpecker of the mountains of western 
> North America.  Living in remote forests, it can be difficult to find 
> reliably but one particular grove of aspens in a mixed conifer/aspen zone 
> above 6300? elevation has been my go-to spot for at least a decade.
>
> The grove is several miles from the nearest paved road but fortunately the 
> gravel road is in good enough condition for ordinary vehicles w/o high 
> clearance or 4WD.  This is where I found myself one day this week.
>
> My plan was to find a nest site, set up a blind nearby to allow for 
> adequate lighting and decent backgrounds, and wait.  Having visited the 
> grove the week before I knew the birds were in the area so I began the day 
> by looking for likely nest trees: a large dead aspen with several older 
> nest cavities seemed a likely prospect, and the scattered wood chips at 
> the base of the tree suggested recent excavation.  I then set up the blind 
> nearby and waited.
>
> No more than 5 minutes passed before one of the adults flew to the tree 
> with a bill full of bugs.  Refining my blind?s position for photos and 
> waiting several hours resulted in numerous photos, two of which are here:
>
> male Williamson?s Sapsucker
>
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/picidae/sphyrapicus/thyroideus/sphthy11.html
>  
> <http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/picidae/sphyrapicus/thyroideus/sphthy11.html>
>
> female Williamson?s Sapsucker
>
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/picidae/sphyrapicus/thyroideus/sphthy10.html
>  
> <http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/picidae/sphyrapicus/thyroideus/sphthy10.html>
>
> This species is unusual among woodpeckers for its plumage differences 
> between the sexes.  When european-americans first encountered this bird 
> they believed the male and the female were separate species because of the 
> striking difference.
>
> As usual, all comments are welcome.
>
> Doug Herr
> Birdman of Sierra County
> http://www.wildlightphoto <http://www.wildlightphoto/>.com
>
> _______________________________________________
> Leica Users Group.
> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>
-- 
Jim Nichols
Tullahoma, TN USA



Replies: Reply from telyt at earthlink.net (Doug Herr) ([Leica] IMG: Williamson's Sapsucker)
In reply to: Message from telyt at earthlink.net (Doug Herr) ([Leica] IMG: Williamson's Sapsucker)