feeding time

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squirl033

squirl033

Super Moderator
Staff member
spotted these two red-breasted sapsuckers, a juvenile and an adult, on their favorite birch tree this afternoon, and was able to get a couple of snaps of the adult feeding the young one. the light wasn't great, so these shots don't have the IQ i'd like, but it's nice to catch the behavior...

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Those are cool! As you said, it's really neat to see that behavior and be able to photograph it. Looks like they're pretty much shredding the tree though...
 
WOW! First, I have never even seen a sapsucker so thank you for the I.D., and second, great capture of wildlife....and are those holes from the birds???
 


BobH said:
Yes, they really are. That's how they get the sap they eat, they drill holes in the tree and suck it out. (Thus the name "sapsucker")

Their holes are easy to recognize, typically have a nice regular pattern that looks like it was done by a machine or something. Nature's own drill press. ;)

Here's a link to a pdf file with more info:
http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/regions/lawnandgarden/sapsuckerdamage.pdf
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actually, they don't eat the sap... they drill holes, wait for the sap to attract insects, which then get stuck. the sapsucker comes back and "harvests" the insects... very clever! it looks a little like the bird is eating the sap, hence the name.
 
I'm soooo jealous. I can't tell you how long I have been trying to get a photo of these guys. And these are all so good.
 
Again, thanks for the ID and info. I love birds and hope I will see some of these some day.....just not in MY trees.

The only woodpeckers I see around my yard are our (mostly ground hunting) Flickers, which I had in the California desert as well along the river there.
 
PS: I am going to guess that last shot was taken with your 100-400L lens. Am I correct? ;)
 


Leia said:
PS: I am going to guess that last shot was taken with your 100-400L lens. Am I correct? ;)
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right you are, Leia.

we do have several species of woodpeckers here... downies, hairies, pileated (though i haven't personally seen one in years), and of course the sapsuckers. also get flickers, though not as common.
 
Love those woodpeckers.

squirl033 said:
right you are, Leia.

we do have several species of woodpeckers here... downies, hairies, pileated (though i haven't personally seen one in years.
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We have those here in my neighborhood and always think the pileated are a real treat. I see them all the time in a natural area near my home but never have a long enough lens to do them justice. They are a bit camera shy.
 
squirl033 said:
actually, they don't eat the sap... they drill holes, wait for the sap to attract insects, which then get stuck. the sapsucker comes back and "harvests" the insects... very clever! it looks a little like the bird is eating the sap, hence the name.
Click to expand...

I'm no birder, but several references I consulted indicate they eat both the bugs and the sap. As an example, the Seattle Audobon Society page states:

The main food of Red-breasted Sapsuckers is tree sap. They also eat some insects and fruit. They take more insects during the nesting season, and they feed insects to their young.
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http://www.birdweb.org/birdweb/bird_details.aspx?id=273
 
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