![]() ![]() ![]() For nearly four hours we took turns watching, waiting and photographing while his parents occasionally fed him. We decided that the next day was the day that he’d fledge and since we didn’t want to miss it, we got up at just after five o’clock. Judging by his resistance to leave when the others left, this remaining nestling was likely a day younger, so incubation probably began the day before Mom laid his egg. Why the delay? Many birds, including the downy, begin incubation when the last or second to last egg is laid. Disappointed, we reminded ourselves that the remaining baby’s voice offered hope that we’d at least be able to watch him leave the nest. It wasn’t early enough though, because on our third day of morning observation, the loud chirping and queeking heard earlier in the week had dwindled to just one voice: In other words, we missed the main event. Some sources say it may occur at 18-21 days after hatching, although Audubon says 20-25 days regardless, we knew it would be soon, so we arose very early for several days, in the hopes of witnessing the fledging event. ![]() The nestlings’ voices were loud and strong and photos revealed that they were all male (with little red caps!), and nearly old enough to fledge. The Washington Department of Wildlife has more detailed info on these “wildlife trees” and the Cavity Conservation Initiative has an enchanting video that documents, up close, the lives that they support.Īfter we learned of the nestlings, my husband began photographing the adorable babies and their parents, who worked tirelessly to provide them with insects to eat. If you already have a snag, retain or add native shrubs near its base-they will help keep it stable and protected from weather extremes and provide connectivity, leafy cover, and additional food for wildlife. If safety is a concern but you want to retain a dead tree’s benefits, consult an arborist to shorten the trunk and any branches that might pose a problem (but retain at least 15 feet of height). Whenever possible, allow snags to remain in low activity areas that won’t be a problem should they fall apart when they do they’ll continue to give back in the understory. Removing them steals critical habitat, even if their wood is unsuitably hard. The availability of snags falls far short of the need as forests are increasingly decimated and development runs amok they’re especially rare in urban areas. ![]() This suggests that many trees and snags previously considered suitable for cavity-excavating birds actually may not be.” “The researchers also found that at-risk species were nesting within burned areas where up to 96 percent of the trees had unsuitably hard wood. A study in Washington’s eastern Cascades found that cavity-excavating birds preferred trees with significantly soft interior wood. For species that must roost in cavities during winter, insulated roosting cavities within trees are essential for them to be able to escape frigid temperatures it can mean the difference between life and death.īut they can’t use just any old tree. Woodpeckers also use snags to communicate during breeding season. In addition to providing vital housing for many types of insects (including some pollinators), cavity-nesting birds (around 80 species in North America), amphibians, reptiles, and small mammals (including bats), they provide food and open perches, and double as storage lockers. With their rotting wood, hollow cavities, broken branches and loose bark, dead and dying trees - known as snags - may actually provide more varied habitat for all sorts of creatures than when they were alive. It wasn’t until the second week of June, when our neighbor told us of baby bird sounds coming from the cavity, that we realized what they’d been up to. Excavation of the gourd-shaped cavity continued, but there appeared to be little activity as the month progressed, at least to our eyes and ears, grounded 40 feet below during a very wet, cool spring that kept us indoors more than usual. Late in April, it became clear that the third chamber - its depth now at least as long as the birds themselves - would become their little nursery. What’s with all the holes? Woodpeckers-expert woodworkers of the avian world-including the downy, hairy, pileated, flicker, and many others, hollow out separate chambers for nesting and roosting and, as you’ll read further on, are considered “keystone species” for their crucial role in creating habitat for other woodland species who depend on dead and dying trees in the landscape. ![]()
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