The Downy Woodpecker was probably looking for an insect that is overwintering in the canes of the blackberries. Downy Woodpeckers and to a lesser degree, Black-capped Chickadees, readily pick through the galls found on goldenrod to eat a grub that overwinters in them. They are probably doing the same thing on the blackberries, but I have no idea what the insect would be.

Jeff Kozma
Yakima

----- Original Message -----
From: Rob Sandelin
To: 'Tweeters'
Sent: Friday, December 30, 2005 4:01 PM
Subject: [Tweeters] Interesting downy woodpecker location


On the Fir Island Game refuge by the parking lot there was a male downy woodpecker perching on blackberry canes, about the thickness of my thumb. It flew from cane to cane, landing gingerly and looking up and down the canes for something. It landed on a cane and pecked a few times into the green cane. I wonder what it was going after?

Oh yeah, there was also a Snowy Owl out in the flats there, very dark bird with much black banding markings, I assumed a first year bird.

Rob Sandelin
Naturalist, Writer
The Environmental Science School
http://www.nonprofitpages.com/nica/SVE.htm
><((((?>`?..?`?..?`?...><((((?>...?`?..?`?...><((((?>.?`?..?`?...><((((?>.?`?..?`?...><((((?>?.. ><((((?>
?`?..?`?...?..?`><((((?>.?`?..?`?...><((((?>.?`?..?`?...><((((?>..?`?..?`?...><((((?>?.. ?`?..?`?....?`?..?`?...><((((?>







--
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.1.371 / Virus Database: 267.14.9/217 - Release Date: 12/30/2005




------------------------------------------------------------------------------


_______________________________________________
Tweeters mailing list
Tweeters at u.washington.edu
http://mailman1.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters