Kathy and all, My strong suspicion would be that beetles are, indeed, involved in the concentration of woodpeckers you observed, in this case Spruce Beetles (Dendroctonus rufipennis = "tree killer with red wing (covers)"). This insect is killing lots of trees in the High Country but the nature of the way the trees die makes it not as spectacular and noticeable as Mountain Pine Beetle (D. ponderosae). MPB is currently killing/has killed large numbers of lodgepole pines and is apparently making inroads into ponderosa pine, at least along the northern Front Range (at present still basically from Fort Collins north). Dieing spruce tend to just drop their needles slowly and "melt away", whereas the pines turn bright orange or brown and hang onto those dead needles for 2-3 years for all to see.
If the trees were attacked this summer, as I suspect they were, they would still be green, and the only external evidence of beetle presence now would be dark maroon globs of pitch on the bark (called "pitch tubes"). Foresters and landowners can also use interest by American Three-toed and Hairy Woodpeckers as further indications of beetles. The woodpeckers do NOT just peck at random, wishin' and hopin' (as Dusty Springfield used to croon) something edible is under there. Rather, they know something is under there because they can both hear it and sense vibrations. In winter, the U.S. Forest Service, back in the day when the forest was actively managed, used to conduct aerial surveys for Spruce Beetle, using woodpecker-created halos of chipped bark flakes on the snow as the best visual indicator of beetle attacks. Woodpeckers Rock! Dave Leatherman Fort Collins --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Colorado County Birding: http://www.coloradocountybirding.com/ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.as/group/cobirds?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
