Brenda,



In woodpeckers (and in most other birds), both sexes feed the nestlings.
It's too big a job for one parent alone to manage successfully in most
species.



The female was undoubtedly feeding the young too, unless she had been
killed. If you watched the nest for only a short time, you may just have
missed her.



By the way, where exactly is the Bean Creek Basin? I've never heard of it.



Wayne C. Weber

Delta, BC

contopus at telus.net







From: tweeters-bounces at mailman2.u.washington.edu
[mailto:tweeters-bounces at mailman2.u.washington.edu] On Behalf Of Brenda
Burnett
Sent: Tuesday, July 06, 2010 7:47 AM
To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
Subject: [Tweeters] Williamson's Sapsucker question



Hi Tweeters!

Yesterday on a hike to Bean Creek Basin, we got to watch what looked like a
male Williamson's Sapsucker coming and going to a nest hole in a snag,
feeding a very noisy brood. Would the male be doing this? I can't think
what species' female would look like that: roughly the size of a Hairy
Woodpecker, solid black back and tail, white horizontal marks on head/face,
big solid white patch along each side. Didn't get a good look at the front
throat/belly. We watched it when we went up the trail and again when we
went down. Didn't see a female at all, tho' she might've been in there with
the babes (?). So that's my question...would a male Williamson's be doing
the busy feeding job?

Also seen:
dozens of Western Tanagers (one almost mistook me for a perchable tree
branch)
American Dippers
flycatchers galore (unfortunately silent)
Yellow-Rumped Warblers in full breeding plumage
Chipping Sparrows (many!)
Hermit Thrushes
Cassin's Finch
Black Swifts
Lincoln's Sparrows
Mountain Chickadee
Golden-Crowned Kinglet
Lazuli Bunting (I think...)


Brenda Burnett
Seattle
beaknbird at hotmail dot com




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