Me:
> > Lewis's woodpecker.
> >
> > Decline of the latter species, at least, is partially due to the
> > spread of the starling.

Dennis:
> I agree pretty much with Don's assessment of the decline of the oak
> savanna, but I'll reiterate previous postings of mine that we may be too
> hasty in attributing various declines to the ever-maligned starling.
> Lewis' Woodpeckers, at least in Washington, were way down in numbers before
> the first starlings reached any appreciable populations here. Acorn
> woodpeckers are known to be resistant to starling incursion, but they would
> surely decline with the diminution of oak habitats, just as Lewis' would.
> However, Lewis' were quite common in parts of Washington that lacked oaks,
> but they were certainly associated with land that had been partially logged
> and thus had plenty of open areas with snags in which to nest. I'd bet
> money (no one can prove me wrong, of course) that there were a lot more
> flying insects (Lewis' woodpecker food) in this area 50-100 years ago, when
> it was a patchwork of forest and cut-over land.

I should've been more clear - I was thinking of Lewis' woodpeckers in those
areas of Oak habitat that still exists in the Willamette Valley, such as
Oak Island on Sauvie Island (which isn't technically in the Valley but
is partially a result of the mud dumped into the Columbia by the Willamette).

At this locale, at least, David Marshall seems pretty convinced that the
decline of Lewis' 'pecker, which was common on the island as late as in
the 40s, correlates with the presence of the starling, which reached our
area at about that time (in numbers, at least). There are a lot of
older oaks, oak snags, and cavities for nesting in this locale yet
Lewis' disappeared - I found one there a few years ago and caused
a stir. Which is actually how I learned that they were once common
there, as well. Starlings are abundant in this oak habitat (the
stand encompasses a large area, square miles being the appropriate
unit of measure).

Clearly, though, remove the oaks and it wouldn't matter if starlings
were there or not.

My understanding is that Acorn woodpeckers weren't common there. Other
areas I'm a familiar with, which was once or should be oaky, like Table
Rock in Medford often has both species together (they seem to nest in
power poles, there, and starlings haven't made them disappear, why
are Lewis' able to hang on there?).

Also, in the Columbia Gorge between Hood River and the Dalles,
where there is still a lot of oak, one finds both starlings and
Lewis' woodpecker but not commonly Acorn woodpeckers, in my
experience at least. Perhaps because Lewis' migrate?

So, in my own personal experience I'm familiar with areas where
Lewis' woodpeckers and starlings co-exist at least to some degree,
yet the Oak Island area I speak of ain't one of them. Any ideas
on the dynamics?

Fill me in, Dennis (or anyone else)...


- Don Baccus, Portland OR <donb at rational.com>