Christine,

Great to hear! I have been watching the conifercus trees in the Arboretum that had RBSA last winter and have not seen a RBSA all summer. My friend on Whidbey Island has RBSAs in a birch tree in the summer, but none in the winter. I have been searching the Arboretum trying to determine if the winter RBSAs have just switched to some local deciduous tree. I found one deciduous tree with thousands of holes but so far no RBSA. (Until I saw the one by Montlake Bridge yesterday. It appeared to be plucking insects off a pine tree, but did not stop to work any sap holes, while I was there.) I am very curious what your RBSAs are eating during the summer. Is it just insects or are they also visibly sucking the sap of a tree(s). I have never thought to check the cottonwoods for holes or RBSAs but that will be next on my list.

Thank you for your information and guidance!

Larry

> On Oct 6, 2015, at 7:34 AM, Christine Southwick <clsouth at u.washington.edu> wrote:
>
> I have Red-breasted Sapsuckers (RBSA) in my neighborhood (southeast Shoreline), all year round. After our big windstorm in September, the top twentyfive feet of the two next door cottonwoods blew off, and now I can see the RBSAs much easier. I also have a picture of a juvie RBSA drinking/bathing at my ground bird bath, so there is also some local breeding.
>
> Christine Southwick
> N Seattle/Shoreline
> clsouthwick at q.com
>
> On Mon, 5 Oct 2015, Larry Hubbell - www.unionbaywatch.blogspot.com wrote:
>
>> Date: Mon, 05 Oct 2015 21:09:04 -0700
>> From: Larry Hubbell - www.unionbaywatch.blogspot.com <ldhubbell at comcast.net>
>> To: tweeters at u.washington.edu, fbwood at u.washington.edu
>> Subject: [Tweeters] RBSS
>> Francis,
>> I saw my first RBSS in months, today, by the Montlake Bridge.
>> Larry Hubbell
>> Sent from my Samsung device
>>
>
> Christine Southwick
> Pharmacy Administration
> University of Washington Medical Center
> Box 356015
> 1959 NE Pacific Street
> Seattle, WA 98195-6015
> phone: 206-598-7398; fax 206-598-6075
>
>
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