Hi, I was only able to observe them a couple of times. The first dates are on 7/08/ 2013 and the ones where I saw them going back and forth from the nesting cavity are on 8/12. On the July date, they were still excavating. Here is a link to one leaving the cavity with what I assume is a fecal sac. http://www.dianawhitingphotography.com/Galleries/Birds/Passerines/12959449_8PScNT#!i=2713829101&k=jc4LbbC
Diana On Aug 20, 2013, at 8:12 PM, Paul wrote: > Have not seen them bringing out fecal sacs, and have been looking for that. > Any seen that? It is definitely possible this is food caching. Looked up > the background in Kaufman’s Lives of North American Birds. It mentions > caching of acorns, beechnuts, not berries. Says they are the most omnivorous > of woodpeckers. But why would they cache insects? Seems a poor choice. > > Now, I am wondering about the timing of this pair at this location. When were > they first seen excavating the cavity? Says a second brood is possible; > incubation 12-13 days and fledging in 27-31 days. That predicts fledging in > 39 to 44 days from onset. How does that match with dates when they were > excavating? Does anyone have the key dates? > > Paul Schmitt > > From: Dave Nutter > Sent: Tuesday, August 20, 2013 7:32 PM > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [cayugabirds-l] Red-headed Woodpeckers at May's Point > > I'm not surprised at them eating fruit, which I've seen many woodpecker > species do many times, but I am surprised they would feed fruit to nestlings. > Is it possible they are caching the food? Has anyone seen the adults emerge > with fecal sacs? Would this species carry off fecal sacs? Nice photos by the > way, Paul, and thanks for taking the time to observe carefully. > --Dave Nutter > > On Aug 20, 2013, at 07:06 PM, Anne Clark <[email protected]> wrote: > >> Back in the 80's when I was living in SW Michigan (near Kellogg Biological >> Station, in Delton, MI), a pair of red-headed woodpeckers brought their >> fledglings every year to eat mulberries at a productive group of trees. >> >> More unusual that they would take them to protein-needy nestlings (albeit >> very late nestlings). But robins in the same Michigan property fed their >> nestlings on mulberries. >> >> Anne Clark >> >> On Aug 20, 2013, at 6:51 PM, Paul wrote: >> >>> Spent about three hours watching the Red-headed Woodpeckers at May�s Point >>> this morning. Very active until about 10 am. Saw an interesting sequence >>> when a Merlin made a pass at the nest cavity,, actually several passes to >>> which the adult RHW responded with loud calls and some defensive attacks. >>> Thereafter, the pair were on sentry duty, one in an adjacent cavity >>> watching south and the other to the north in a tree along the river. The >>> Merlin was in the area for about 5 minutes. They stayed on alert for about >>> 20 minutes longer before resuming activity. >>> >>> More interesting was a discovery on what they are bringing into the nest >>> cavity. (Have not yet seen chicks at the opening. Has anyone?) While >>> sometimes, I can see that they are bringing insects such as dragonflies, at >>> other times it appeared to be round objects. Did not seem possible to be >>> acorns. Now, I�ve posted some images on my blog >>> (http://birds-n-blooms.blogspot.com/) which show an adult bringing wild >>> grapes to the cavity. There are ripe grapes on the vines in the area. On my >>> first visit (July 24), I recorded an adult picking Woody Nightshade berries >>> from vines at the base of dead trees to the north east of the nest tree. >>> Had not expected woodpeckers to be eating fruit. >>> >>> Paul Schmitt >>> -- >>> Cayugabirds-L List Info: >>> Welcome and Basics >>> Rules and Information >>> Subscribe, Configuration and Leave >>> Archives: >>> The Mail Archive >>> Surfbirds >>> BirdingOnThe.Net >>> Please submit your observations to eBird! >>> -- >> >> >> -- >> Cayugabirds-L List Info: >> Welcome and Basics >> Rules and Information >> Subscribe, Configuration and Leave >> Archives: >> The Mail Archive >> Surfbirds >> BirdingOnThe.Net >> Please submit your observations to eBird! >> -- > > -- > Cayugabirds-L List Info: > Welcome and Basics > Rules and Information > Subscribe, Configuration and Leave > Archives: > The Mail Archive > Surfbirds > BirdingOnThe.Net > Please submit your observations to eBird! > -- > -- > Cayugabirds-L List Info: > Welcome and Basics > Rules and Information > Subscribe, Configuration and Leave > Archives: > The Mail Archive > Surfbirds > BirdingOnThe.Net > Please submit your observations to eBird! > -- Diana Whiting http://www.dianawhitingphotography.com/ -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
