worldtalker
Gold Member
Pilated WoodPecker,them babies are BIG,the hole 2nd from bottom is 8in.What a racket their calls make!
sorry,here's the picworldtalker said:Pilated WoodPecker,them babies are BIG,the hole 2nd from bottom is 8in.What a racket their calls make!
ohioaxeman said:Dang! They sure are destructive!
worldtalker said:Here's a mating pair,that tree is near four foot in dia.Sure do miss them Smoky Mountains!!!!!!!!ohioaxeman said:Dang! They sure are destructive!
Same pairworldtalker said:Here's a mating pair,that tree is near four foot in dia.Sure do miss them Smoky Mountains!!!!!!!!ohioaxeman said:Dang! They sure are destructive!
Ivan,they build their nests WAY high,this tree was FULL of Carpenter ants!You're not to far from where I was born,Jacksonville-1951.Cheers-HHivan salis said:now for the bad news * =-- those woodpeckers would have reused their nest year after year * -( and its a lot of work for them to build a new nesting site) - the biggest danger to them is loss of habitat ( their nesting sites) due to forest land clear for development -- by removing the tree you took out their home nesting site .-- I sure you did not want to harm them as much as you seem to love em -- at least put the tree nest up a bit --if its too low where preditors can have easy access most birds will not use it. -- Ivan
Felinepeachy,This ones for you,GOD BLESS,Chris.Felinepeachy said:WOW what a great picture. I've never seen the holes they make but you know what? God made them to do what they do for a reason so they are doing their job well LOL
Tuberale,If ya ever been to GreatSmoky Mountains you'll see how BIG trees get.I lived in a subtropical region Cosby Tennessee for 6yrs.I liked living there better than anywhere I ever lived,I'm 59 too.They got a salamander 12in.long in the criks,only place in the world,Bugs and critters most irredecent I've ever seen!HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!!!!!!!!Tuberale said:Here in the PNW, Pileateds are part of a much wider ecosystem. Northern Spotted owls rely on old Pileated nests for brood sites, as well as wood ducks.
Yep, those Pileateds were probably excavating a carpenter ant gallery, but it might also have been an extensive termite colony as well. Whether ants or termites, the tree was likely first damaged by wind or weather-related cause, after which a fungus probably colonized it downward. Eventually the mushroom would kill the tree. Pileateds test the tree for easy opening. Fungal-colonized wood is kind of similar to a sponge in texture. So what looks very hard and solid often isn't.
Problem is Pileateds rely on old-growth trees for food and habitat. They only create nesting holes is trees at least 3 feet in diameter at a considerable height. So while the removed snag may at one time have had a Pileated nest, that nesting site has been gone a long time now.