[Leica] IMG: Williamson's Sapsucker

[Don Dory]

Thank you.  I would assume that the warmer and dryer climate has also had
an effect.

On Sat, Jun 13, 2020, 7:57 AM Doug Herr via LUG <lug at leica-users.org> wrote:

> This particular aspen grove has not been touched by recent fires.  Closer
> to home, Lake Tahoe’s fires in the last decade or so have caused some
> disruptions with a few species temporarily displacing others.  Longer term
> trends I’ve been seeing are a gradual shifting northward of several
> species, now common in northern California where in past decades they were
> unusual or even absent.
>
> Doug Herr
> Birdman of Sacramento
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com <http://www.wildlightphoto.com/>
>
>
> > On Jun 13, 2020, at 5:36 AM, Don Dory via LUG <lug at leica-users.org>
> wrote:
> >
> > How have the past years fires affected your passion.   The loss of
> habitat
> > in northern California surely caused many dislocations.
> >
> > On Fri, Jun 12, 2020, 9:25 PM Doug Herr via LUG <lug at leica-users.org
> <mailto:lug at leica-users.org>> 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
> <
> 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
> >
> >> <
> >>
> 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/> <
> http://www.wildlightphoto/ <http://www.wildlightphoto/>>.com
> >>
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