Go Watch Birds

Over the past two weeks I have had two run-ins with woodpeckers. Unfortunately they were both from quite a distance.I have very little experience with woodpeckers so these two recent experiences is leading me to a new interest in cavity nesters.

A friend of mine recently built a home in Flagstaff Arizona.  A popular style of architectural design is to side your home with natural wood siding. The problem is that woodpeckers are cavity nesters. The male creates a cavity to attract a mate. Normally in a tree. Well this bird decided that the house would make a nice place to create a nest. So the patched up the hole and put up some fake owls.  I don’t think anyone saw the woodpecker but the hole is without a doubt the work of a woodpecker.

Next week.  I am on a walk in my neighborhood with my two kids, my wife and our two dogs.  My wife saw a woodpecker up a palm tree.  I could see it but not very well.  I did not have a camera. I did not have any optics. My wife has very good vision. I don’t. I ware glasses but I did not have them with me. I am near sighted so seeing any detail at that distance was impossible.

So I am where I started. I now know that they are in my neighborhood so I will be on the lookout for them.

Filed under: Birds Sightings on July 26th, 2009