On Thu, 19 Jan 1995 STEPNIEWSKI at delphi.com wrote:

> Hi Burt,
> I'm a Yakima area birder and one who has kept an eye (and ear) out for
> Lewis' Woodpeckers...jeez, I've never associated them with burns in CA, ORe
> or WA...maybe another part of their range? By the way, this is an "on year"
> for Garry oak mast in south-central WA...piles of Lewis' at Ft. Simcoe this
> winter.
>
> Andy Stepniewski
>
I think Lewis' Woodpeckers were strongly associated with burned and
slash-burned logged areas in the Vancouver area in the '20s and '30s; at
least Ian McTaggart-Cowan claims they were common in such habitats around
North and West Vancouver then. When these forests regenerated, the
woodpeckers disappeared. As to the effect of starlings, the only bird
I've seen evict a starling from a nest hole was a Lewis' Woodpecker.

Like Andy, I don't associate Lewis' with burns east of the Cascades,
although they like to open habitats created by burns through the lower
part of the ponderosa pine belt.

Richard J. Cannings cannings at bcu.ubc.ca
Cowan Vertebrate Museum vertmus at bcu.ubc.ca
Department of Zoology, (604)822-4665
University of British Columbia (604)822-2416 (FAX)
Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4 CANADA