I think there are just more insect-infested conifers available outside of towns, but where those infested conifers have been left standing, I don't think Black-backed Woodpeckers have an aversion to towns. I have seen Black-backed Woodpeckers within Grand Marais, Duluth, Two Harbors, Moose Lake, Deer River, and Grand Rapids. The most "urban" ones were in Moose Lake, 2 birds in a tree right in a residential neighborhood. Now, keep in mind that all of these were fall or winter sightings--migrants--I would be truly surprised to find a nesting Black-backed Woodpecker in town, though somewhere like Veteran's Park would offer some opportunities if the city weren't so overzealous about removing so-called "hazard trees".
On Wed, Jan 12, 2011 at 4:19 PM, Wes Bailey <[email protected]> wrote: > Thanks to Shawn Conrad I scored a lifer this morning; black-backed > woodpecker (female)! Shawn found this bird foraging up in > dead/dying spruce amongst the mature spruce windrows here at the Grand > Rapids MN DNR headquarters. A question came up about the uniqueness of > observing black-backed woodpeckers within residential/commercial > settings (i.e., in town) as it seems most observations from MN of this > species take place out in the wilds. Any thoughts? > > Wes Bailey > Grand Rapids, MN > Itasca County > jwbp54 AT gmail.com > > ---- > Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net > Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html > -- Shawn Conrad www.itascacnfbirding.com ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
