May 23, 2007
Black Woodpecker babies
Oh my god, I'm a mother!
I'm very pleased to announce that 'my' Black Woodpeckers (Pic noir) are the proud parents of two hungry chicks. In the handful of visits to the nest I've made, the pattern seems to be that one of the parents lands on a nearby tree, makes a Northern Flicker-like 'keow' and takes a good look around before proceeding to feed the young at the nest-hole. After feeding, the parent disappears inside the nest-hole (to collect a faecal sac, I suspect) before flying off - the whole process taking about 90 seconds. I haven't been there enough to know the average time between feeds, but it can be less than once an hour in the middle of the day. The canopy is closed, leaving not too much light for photography. Here are the best results so far, no doubt more to follow...
Comments? Email to rjhall_AT_surfbirder.com
Posted by rjhall at May 23, 2007 11:51 PM