Subject: Fw: [bcintbird] LEWIS'S WOODPECKER DECLINES
Date: Nov 25 09:40:57 2000
From: WAYNE WEBER - WAYNE_WEBER at bc.sympatico.ca


Tweeters,

Here is another posting from BCINTBIRD that contributes to the Lewis's
Woodpecker discussion. Another major point is made here: Starlings
occupy nest-sites in the spring before most Lewis's Woodpeckers return
to the breeding area, and the battle may be over before it's begun.
Competition for nest-sites is far more insidious than the results of
individual squabbles between the two species over a particular nest
site. Most of the competition is unseen by human eyes, and the results
can be properly judged only by the relative breeding success of the
two species in a particular area over a series of years.

If anyone out there is looking for a graduate research topic in
ornithology, this might be a good one.

Wayne C. Weber
Kamloops, BC
wayne_weber at bc.sympatico.ca



-----Original Message-----
From: Thomas Lowery <loweryt at vip.net>
To: bcintbird at egroups.com <bcintbird at egroups.com>
Date: Friday, November 24, 2000 9:30 PM
Subject: Re: [bcintbird] LEWIS'S WOODPECKER DECLINES


>Wayne,
>
>We have several nesting pairs (at least 3 or 4) of Lewis's Woodpecker
here
>in Trout Creek Point, Summerland. Based on first hand observations,
>Starlings do compete aggressively with Lewis's Woodpecker for nest
sites.
>Successful nesting by the woodpeckers might result when birds
overwinter
>here and protect the nest throughout the year. A new site that was
occupied
>this year was only about five feet off the ground in the trunk of a
Weeping
>Willow right beside a busy street. Starlings would not have chosen
this spot.
>
>Last winter we frequently saw Lewis's Woodpeckers and 4 were recorded
on
>the Penticton CBC. Only an occasional bird has been spotted here
this
>fall, but we have noticed large flocks of Starlings in our area.
Perhaps
>there is competition for more than nest sites? It will be interesting
to
>see if the woodpeckers are able to reclaim their previous nest sites
when
>they return. The Starlings are likely to occupy the nests before the
>woodpeckers return and will then defend these sites even more
aggressively.
>Two of the trees have more than one nest cavities, which might allow
the
>woodpeckers to claim a site.
>
>Didn't someone on the list request information about Lewis's
Woodpecker
>nesting sites? Trout Creek Point might make a good study area if
anyone was
>considering a project on this species.
>
>Tom Lowery
>Tom & Robyn Lowery
>Summerland, B.C.
>loweryt at vip.net
>