Nice Story with Pics Raghu Ji On Thu, Oct 6, 2011 at 12:59 AM, Dinesh Valke <[email protected]>wrote:
> ... thoroughly enjoyed the drama, Raghu ji. > Nice photos too. > Regards. > Dinesh > > > > > > On Thu, Oct 6, 2011 at 12:32 AM, raghu ananth <[email protected]> wrote: > >> * Drama in my backyard – a woodpecker’s search for food atop a mango tree >> and an inquisitive audience! ** * >> >> This time, mom hollered from the backyard and said “Some new bird has >> landed on the mango tree. It looks beautiful. Come take a look”.**** >> >> ** ** >> >> To my surprise, it was a white-naped woodpecker - *Chrysocolaptes >> festivus,* which I had seen once earlier. Moments after spotting me, it >> gave a loud call and flew close to the bottom of another small mango tree >> stump, climbed up and after ensuring that it was safe from whatsoever >> threats, started pecking on an already cut/ marked portion in the bark. >> I brought my camera and this time I asked my mom to go ahead and I >> followed cautiously. The trick worked as the bird just watched for a few >> seconds and continued its work and I started clicking. (I have noticed many >> common birds that have strayed into the backyard like the hoopoe, tailor >> bird, sparrows, koel and sunbirds coming very close, just a feet or two next >> to my mom. But I seem like a stranger to them and a slight action on my part >> is enough to have them scurrying away with a cry of alarm.)**** >> >> **** >> >> Soon, the noise aroused the curiosity of a furred mammal which came close >> to the woodpecker, but one sharp peck from its beak sent the intruder >> scampering away, only for it to return and peep at the woodpecker from a >> respectable distance. **** >> >> ** ** >> >> Once, a woodpecker continued its rap-a-tap-tap noise on the bark of the >> mango tree with its chisel-like bill, making a mark from top to bottom and >> then again to the top right, as if drawing out a heart.**** >> >> ** ** >> >> ** ** >> >> It took less than three minutes for the wood pecker to remove a small >> portion of the bark of the mango tree, eat some insects/worms and fly away. >> I could see nothing what it ate. But there were small holes under the bark. >> After the exit of the wood pecker, the squirrel came to check and spent all >> its time sniffing and licking at the place, where moments earlier the >> woodpecker had been busy at work.**** >> >> ** ** >> >> It took me years to learn that the continuous firing sounds in the >> wilderness which resembled a gun being fired, was thanks to these >> woodpeckers boring into hollow wood for insects. The alarm calls too are a >> quick burst of sounds. During trips to my village, I normally see them on >> many of the Ficus species (Banyan –Ficus bengalensis , Ficus.Mysorensis, >> F.racemosa, coconut, areca and acacia trees making their way from the >> bottom of the tree to the topmost branches invisible for some time and then >> flying away **** >> >> ** ** >> >> ** ** >> >> Photo date : 20 Nov 2009, Time 1:00PM to 1:09PM**** >> >> Krishnaraja nagar, Mysore District, Karnataka**** >> >> ** ** >> >> Note: This Mango tree stump no longer exists >> >> >> >> >> >> Regards >> >> >> >> Raghu >> >> >> >> **** >> >> > -- Regards Dr Balkar Singh Head, Deptt. of Botany and Biotechnology Arya P G College, Panipat Haryana-132103 09416262964
