Woodpecker pecking design

This is not conspiracy related and many people may not care about it. I like it and wanted to share though.

We have a holly tree just outside of the house. A Downy woodpecker has been visiting it for weeks now. He pecks just deep enough to remove the bark. Well after several weeks, you can see a pattern. Squares and rectangles, mostly, have been formed. They line up pretty well and the lines between the designs line up pretty well, also.

I thought it was pretty cool and wanted to share with others here who would like to see what it looks like.

Pretty cool pattern that critter has created.

a reply to: Blueracer

lol! I've seen them on my trees too. They go where the insects are!

Maybe he is a woodpecker artist.. Got any bugs in that tree ? seems strange but cool, thanks for sharing..

a reply to: Blueracer
That's a cool pattern. It looks almost like a reptile hide.

ladyinwaiting and wildb,

I don't see any insects. You can't see it in the pics, but looking at the tree, I can see where the water/sap runs down from where he has pecked so I wonder if he finds it to be sweet.

If there are bugs, I can't see them.

Actually a sapsucker (also a type of woodpecker) did that. The downy is just taking advantage of it. The tree must have been on its way out. Sapsuckers generally harvest from severely weakened trees.

Alas, we were all fooled. We thought the spawn of Satan would be human. It is, however, a woodpecker, pecking it's demon-claw mark on trees.

a reply to: Blueracer

Maybe so, I don't know. I know I have ants though. One spring I was afraid the woodpeckers were going to kill my tree it was so bad, but then, poof, they went away. They are beautiful though. I love watching them.

Thanks for the picts, I enjoyed them.

originally posted by: Blueracer
ladyinwaiting and wildb,

I don't see any insects. You can't see it in the pics, but looking at the tree, I can see where the water/sap runs down from where he has pecked so I wonder if he finds it to be sweet.

If there are bugs, I can't see them.

The sapsucker is after sap, not insects. The pattern makes the tree weep and the sapsucker comes back later to harvest. It could be considered agriculture.

en.wikipedia.org...

a reply to: CraftBuilder

Wow! I did not know that! Thanks! Makes sense.

It could be considered agriculture.

Birds are so freaking smart.

It's as if the bird wrote a story. If only we could understand. It's a tale of bugs and effort and weather and seasons. I love birds.

a reply to: CraftBuilder

Thanks for bringing that up. There is only 1 bird. Some Sapsuckers resemble Downy woodpeckers. The design does resemble that of some Sapsuckers. There are also Sapsuckers that do not leave designs like that. He is there a lot so I will try to differentiate when I see him tomorrow.

I also read that Sapsuckers are a species of woodpeckers.

a reply to: Blueracer

Yes they are a type woodpecker. If there is only one bird then it is a sapsucker. Downy woodpeckers don't make that pattern. I can understand the resemblance though.

Here are a couple of pics I got of a sapsucker and its young on the day of hatch in an aspen cavity last summer.

a reply to: CraftBuilder

How adorable. You are a goldmine of info about the little critters.

originally posted by: ladyinwaiting
a reply to: CraftBuilder

How adorable. You are a goldmine of info about the little critters.

I'm a bit of an extreme polynaturalist. I design electronic equipment for wildlife research projects as a hobby job and most of the projects are ornithology related.

Thanks for the compliment. Its great that things like this are noticed and important enough for people to post and share.

You can probably narrow down which species is at your tree by looking at the range maps for each type of sapsucker. There are only four species and they are listed at the top of the wiki page here...
en.wikipedia.org...

a reply to: CraftBuilder

Thank you for the info. You got me curious enough, not only did I google it (same wiki link as you posted above) but I also broke out my Reader's Digest Book of North American Birds.

Thank you for the info again.

a reply to: CraftBuilder

Yes, I did that. Yellow-bellied sapsuckers come here during the winter. Downy woodpeckers are year round and one visits now and then, hence the confusion.

As for the bird, it is black and white, like a Downy. I'll have to look for the white patch on the wing tomorrow. Must be a female because I see no red on it.

originally posted by: Blueracer
a reply to: CraftBuilder

Yes, I did that. Yellow-bellied sapsuckers come here during the winter. Downy woodpeckers are year round and one visits now and then, hence the confusion.

As for the bird, it is black and white, like a Downy. I'll have to look for the white patch on the wing tomorrow. Must be a female because I see no red on it.

Cool.
The adult female will have a red cap but not a red throat. The adult male has both. If you are not seeing any red then it is a juvenile and you will have to wait for it to mature before you can determine the sex.