Hi everyone,



Woodpeckers are generally not known as frugivorous (fruit-eating) birds.? However, the Northern Flicker does eat fruit when available.? Today I got to see that behavior up close when one of the Northern Flickers frequenting our back yard (there are at least four that come around regularly, apparently a family group) flew into one of the Red Huckleberry bushes in our yard, clung to a limb in the manner of a Cedar Waxwing and proceeded to wolf down berries.? An American Robin was simultaneously doing the same thing and flew off before the flicker was finished.



This observation is a mundane one, but I wanted to mention it for those who may not have known about (or seen) Northern Flickers eating fruit - and also as a plug for landscaping for birds (and other wildlife) if you are considering?a landscaping project.? Two years ago this coming October, we converted our back yard from open lawn with a few rhodies and laurel hedges on the sides into a bird-oriented yard with only a small amount of lawn remaining.? We utilized native plants fairly heavily, and the non-natives that were planted were done with birds in mind as well.? We also added a small (about 15-foot) recirculating stream.? This project?has been a big boon to seeing additional new species in the yard, as well as?higher numbers of previously-seen species.? Russell Link, of WDFW, has written an excellent?book titled (if I remember correctly) Landscaping for Wildlife in the Pacific Northwest which is an outstanding reference?if you intend to do anything like this.? It is available pretty widely in my experience, including being carried by garden stores such as Molbak's in Woodinville.? It is broader in scope than just birds as well.



Our back yard now includes three Serviceberry trees, quite a number of Evergreen Huckleberry shrubs, a few Red Huckleberry shrubs, white and red flowering currants, several types of blueberry bushes and Ilex Verticilata (Winterberry).? The Serviceberry fruit is wildly popular with the birds and the Cedar Waxwings in particular seem to have radar for when the berries are just about ripe because they show up daily and work through the trees gobbling down the ripe berries whole.? Quite a number of other species join in this feast as well, and very few berries?end up going to waste.? Supposedly the Serviceberries make good pies, but lots of luck harvesting any before the birds get them.? The Red Huckleberries and Blueberries seem to be second most popular with the birds, with the other fruiting plants further down the list.?



The recirculating stream, and a traditional birdbath with a steady slow drip and small recirculating pump into a mini waterfall, are really popular with the birds as well.? I have a list of at least 30 species that have taken a bath in the stream feature since we installed it.? The stream (which has a small, non-fish pond at one end) has also, to my surprise, proven popular with Pacific Tree Frogs.? This is a mixed blessing, as the stream is right outside our bedroom window and it doesn't take too many of those tiny amphibians to create an amazingly loud chorus.? Even though the stream and 'pond' wasn't designed as breeding habitat for the frogs, we discovered a fair?number of tadpoles and a couple of young frogs swimming around in it as well...!? So I guess next season the decibel level will be even higher.? The stream must be a bit too small to attract any herons, however, since the only birds of that species on my yard list are from flyovers.?



We are certainly pleased with the results of the landscape change in our yard, and as the plants continue to grow and fill in, we're hoping to see an increase in the?number of species nesting there as well.



John Tubbs

Snoqualmie, WA

johntubbs at comcast.net

www.tubbsphoto.com