There are lots of trees hereabouts, plenty in our modest suburban garden, and an arboretum ten minutes away. Plenty of trees … and that means a good variety of Woodpeckers. Six species can be seen around us and if you leave the city and go north you can add a couple more.
I am writing here about our local Woodpeckers - wherever you live there will almost certainly the same species or locally common similar species.
What would woodland be without its Woodpeckers? Downy, Hairy and Pileated are, of course, year-round residents and very easy to locate almost anywhere. Offer a peanut or a suet feeder and they will visit your garden daily. Pileated are here in reasonable numbers and breed in town and in the Arboretum. Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers are superficially similar but the Hairy are larger and have a longer beak in proportion to the head than do Downy. Pileateds are quite a bit larger, about the size of a Crown and easy to identify. My first encounter during our first winter here (1999) was a Pileated flying across a forest trail ahead of us … and my brain briefly said “Pterodactyl.” If you have seen one flying you will understand.
This post was published just a couple of days ago by some else - it neatly explains in more detail how to tell Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers apart. Little point in me reinventing the wheel - just follow this link:
Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers and Northern Flickers are migratory and leave us in the winter but are fairly easy to find in spring and summer. The Sapsuckers excavate series of small pits in the bark of trees from which they can drink sap, as well as taking insects like other Woodpeckers. The Flickers, unusually, often are to be found on the ground collecting ants from underground nests. The Sapsucker on the top-right photo below was hanging onto a brick wall and hammering for all it was worth on the metal downpipe to its left - nobody was in any doubt as to its territory.
For the most art, a Black-backed Woodpecker would be south of its usual range if seen in this part of the country - they favour areas of recently burned forest which very thankfully are not to be found hereabouts. Nevertheless, it is seen/heard during some rare years, usually in the further corners of the arboretum forest away from the pressure of visitors and dogs. I don’t have a good enough photo of my own to share, so here is a link to another birder’s account:
The Red-bellied Woodpecker is a relatively new resident here, being a species that is usually seen well south of Montreal. Quite common further south they were first seen in the Arboretum during mid-winter 2008/9. It is not a particularly shy bird and welcomes food provided at the feeders - peanuts and suet in particular. They have visited our garden more than once, albeit briefly. There is now proof of local nesting and a small, but growing, population has been spreading each summer into surrounding suburban areas in search of territory. Look out for these beautiful birds between the conservation centre and Chalet Pruche, most particularly in the maple stands south and west of Blossom Corner. If you are favoured they may visit your garden too in the colder months. Like several unusual bird species spreading northwards into this area they are still to some degree dependent on human provided food to see them through the winter - so put out quality food to attract them.
Woodpeckers can be found almost worldwide in forested or woodland habitats. They use their beaks to drum on trunks in search of insects and to excavate nesting cavities. Drumming is also used to communicate with others of their species . They have stiff tail feathers, and their feet have two toes facing forward and two backward to give them the ability to climb and perch on tree trunks .
The repeated, high‑impact pecking has meant they have evolved some specialized anatomy. Their skull has strong yet compressible, sponge‑like bone in the forehead and the back of the skull that helps them to absorb the shock of each blow . An enormously elongated hyoid apparatus - that is to say the tongue, hyoid bones, muscles and connective tissue - wraps around the back of the skull and extends well beyond the beak. This also cushions the brain and maintains intracranial pressure during impact . The tongue in most species is exceptionally long and coiled so that it can be used to extract insects from inside deep holes.
Beautiful photos as always 😃
I love woodpeckers. I always listen out for the drumming of the Great Spotted Woodpeckers here in Edinburgh as an early sign of Spring