Woodpeckers   (and other climbing cavity-nesting birds)
 Photos by John C 2002/2003
Feeder Cam | Roost #1 Cam | Roost #2 Cam | (Cam status)
 

Here I'm documenting my findings on protecting woodpeckers. I'm trying to attract them to specialized Starling-resistant feeders, and then eventually to nest boxes. Since the fall of 2001, many woodpecker species have been seen on my property, but only a few visit my feeders and nest boxes. None have nested in the nest boxes.

Woodpeckers are IMPORTANT to other native winged wildlife: Many animals depend on woodpeckers' work for shelter and breeding habitat. Song birds, Raptors, Flying Squirrels, and Bats use the new cavities that woodpeckers have finished using.

Successes:

• The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker visited feeder for 1st time in fall of 2001
• The Hairy Woodpecker visited feeder for 1st time in fall of 2001
• Invented Starling-proof Woodpecker feeder in 2001! (it's not Blue Jay proof)
• Dual-use remote cam / web cam was setup in Fall 2002

I photographed this specimen at the The Naturalist Center of The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Leesburg, VA.

The tongue bone description:

1) Starts in the right nostril where it splits into 2
2) Wraps around its head and joins into 1 bone again
3) Enters its mouth under its chin.

This is actually several bones but I could not see the joints. The bone alone on the Flicker specimen was about 5 1/2" long. I have not yet found the length of the extended tongue of a live Woodpecker. There is probably even more of the tongue that is not comprised of bone. Some woodpeckers' tongues are said to be able to reach about 1/2 of a foot into a tree for food.

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