Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2020/06/12
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]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