Hello Tweeters,

First, I want to all the Tweeters that sent me records and personal notes
and records of White-headed Woodpeckers (WHWO). Some folks asked me to let
them know if I found any, so here goes.

I was in the field looking for WHWO from 3 May until 12 May. I found WHWO
on all days but 11 May. In all we saw 14 individuals at 8 different
locations.

I'll start with a spot that was woodpecker heaven because I saw 7 species
of woodpeckers while standing in one spot! The place was about 2 miles up
FR 1500 off of SR 12 (T14N, R14E, sec 20). Look for for FR 1304 that goes
off to the right. I was drawn to the spot by a calling WHWO (#1). I found
a female foraging on a ponderosa pine. Nearby I could hear a bird working
on a cavity. I was sure it was a male, and thus, my first White-headed
nest. While I was trying to find the cottonwood snag that was getting
worked on, a Downy (#2), Hairy (#3), and Williamson's Sapsucker (#4) made
their presents known. As I was looking for the nest hole, a male WHWO and
Red-naped Sapsucker (#5) flew in. The appearance of the male WHWO for the
most part eliminated the possibility for a WHWO nest, but I still had 4
other possiblities. When I found the nest hole and tapped on the tree, a
Red-shafted Flicker (#6) stuck his head out. Nearby I head yet another
tapping sound coming from a small sapling ponderosa pine. Near the top a
Red-breasted Sapsucker (#7). I thought this was rather remarkable so I
looked around and saw each of the seven species without having to move
from the spot that I was standing.

Here is the rundown on all the locations.

5/5 FR 552, Wenatchee NF (T14N, R14E, sec 34), single male at lake on
south edge of the section.
5/6 FR 1203, Wenatchee NF (T13N, R14E, sec 8), heard only.
5/7 FR 1701 (Bald Mtn Road), Wenatchee NF (T16N, R15E, sec 20), two pairs.
5/9 Rimrock Retreat (T14N, R15E, sec 29), pair in the parking lot of the
motel.
5/9 Rattlesnake Creek (T15N, R15E, sec 10), pair.
5/10 Wenas Creek Campground (T16N, R16E, sec 3), single female foraging in
the campground.
5/12 Wenatchee NF (T14N, R14E, sec 20), pair, with 6 other species (same
local as above).
5/12 FR 1500Wenatchee NF (T14N, R14E, sec 28), single female.

I will be back out for another 10 day stretch starting on 16 May I will
update the list when I return. We use tape play-back of the WHWO calls in
some cases to help find the birds. However, most of the birds were calling
and and we did not need to use a tape player to find them. If you are
searching for them look for stands of Ponderosa Pines that have fairly
large trees and a clear "parkland" type understory. If you have to fight
with a lot of brush and thick vegetation to walk through the tree stand,
it is probably not an ideal spot for WHWO.

If anyone comes across any other locations or nest sites please let me
know.

Thanks,

Russell

Russell Rogers
WA Department of Fish and Wildlife
600 Capitol Way N
Olympia WA 98501
(360) 902-2363