Just an update on the Red-breasted Sapsucker that I discovered
drumming on a utility pole across the street on the morning of May 1.
I may not have made it clear in my first post that sapsuckers
probably don't breed in Seattle, thus my prediction that it would not
acquire a mate if it persisted in hanging around here. It was on the
post again on May 2, rat-a-tat-tatting throughout much of the day. At
one point a crow landed on top of the post, and the sapsucker flew to
a nearby tree, squealing (alarm call?) all the way. On May 3 and 4
there was not a trace of it. Even with its rattled brain, it
presumably realized there was no female in earshot, and it moved on.
We know this species undergoes altitudinal migration in western
Washington, but I know nothing about latitudinal migration. I see one
was just seen in Edmonds, and I wonder if anyone knows of any
breeding localities in Seattle or surrounding cities. They are
common, of course, in the native forest outside the urban area.
-----
Dennis Paulson
1724 NE 98 St.
Seattle, WA 98115
206-528-1382
dennispaulson at comcast.net



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