[Leica] IMG: Wednesday Woodpeckers

[Jim Nichols]

Doug, that's  a great illustrated story.  And, the photos get better 
every time.  Thanks for sharing.

I  love the first one with the chips flying.

On 4/21/20 10:57 PM, Douglas Herr via LUG wrote:
> a tale of two species...
>
> the players: Nuttall's Woodpecker pair
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/picidae/dryobates/nuttallii/drynut06.html
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/picidae/dryobates/nuttallii/drynut08.html
>
> female Acorn Woodpecker
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/picidae/melanerpes/formicivorus/melfor12.html
>
> the scene: a dead cottonwood tree, Sacramento County California
>
> The Nuttall's pair has been working for several days excavating a nest cavity in a dead Cottonwood tree
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/picidae/dryobates/nuttallii/drynut09.html
>
> When I arrived on the morning of 19 April 2020 I saw the male Nuttall's remove something from the cavity that looked like an egg, then resume work on the cavity. Weird, I thought, let's keep watching.
>
> In the days since I first observed the Nuttall's pair working on the cavity, a colony of Acorn Woodpeckers moved in nearby. A female Acorn Woodpecker seemed unusually interested in the Nuttall's cavity
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/picidae/melanerpes/formicivorus/melfor13.html
>
> at this point the male Nuttall's raised the alarm
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/picidae/dryobates/nuttallii/drynut10.html
>
> Apparently Acorn Woodpeckers don't share nest trees. I also observed the female Acorn repeatedly use her face-chisel to try to stab the female Nuttall's who was inside the cavity.
>
> I'm guessing the Acorn Woodpecker left an egg in the Nuttall's nest cavity for the Nuttall's to hatch & raise, Mr. Nuttall's discovered the ruse and removed the Acorn Woodpecker egg sending Ms. Acorn into a tizzy.
>
> Meanwhile in another part of the woods a male Acorn Woodpecker was making another nest cavity
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/picidae/melanerpes/formicivorus/melfor10.html
>
> it's always the guys who take out the trash
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/picidae/melanerpes/formicivorus/melfor09.html
>
> all: Sony a7rIII, 600mm f/3 GM, big tripod.  Some with 1.4x TC.
>
> All comments welcome.
>
>
> Doug Herr
> Birdman of Sacramento
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com
>
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>
-- 
Jim Nichols
Tullahoma, TN USA