I want to share two more observations I’ve made of Yellow-bellied Sapsucker behavior near their nest, which is easily visible from my stationary eBird count in the woods beside my house. The first is from one of my counts during yesterday’s Global Big Day.
I have had the fortune of watching this pair stake out a territory and then excavate their nest only about 20 yards away from my count location. Twice during my many observations of the nest, I believe I observed the female enter the finished cavity and probably deposit an egg. I have seen them switch incubation or nest-security duties since incubation started. Here is the entry I made to my eBird report yesterday afternoon: At 1546, male flew to nest cavity. Female emerged, and pair flew just 5m to a branch where they copulated. Male flew to cavity and entered at 1549. Then at 1553, he sat with head just sticking out of entrance. Female was off to west foraging in oaks. She returned to the nest at 1557, and replaced male in nest. Here is the entry I made to my eBird report from this morning. Male started count period in nest cavity with just head sticking out of entrance (at 0830). Female flew in from west at 0842 and switched places with male. At 0852, male approached from west and landed 10m away from nest where he issued several soft mew calls. He flew to the nest cavity at 0853 and looked inside. Female appeared at cavity entrance, looked from side to side (several time), and disappeared back inside. Male flew off again. He returned at 0858 and sat preening at entrance to nest until end of count period. I loved participating in the Global Big Day yesterday, and submitted 9 checklists from various places, including my house, around the Lab of O, and down around Stewart Park. I thoroughly enjoyed running into many friends and strangers alike who were out birding yesterday. But, I find it hard to tear myself away from my local patch and its common birds when they have so much to teach me about their lives. Enjoy the day Jody Jody W. Enck, PhD Public Engagement in Science Cornell Lab of Ornithology -- 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/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/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/ --
