Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!bbn!rochester!cornell!uw-beaver!ssc-vax!bcsaic!shamus
From: shamus@bcsaic.UUCP (Steven McBride)
Newsgroups: rec.birds
Subject: hairy woodpecker behavior
Message-ID: <3187@bcsaic.UUCP>
Date: 17 Dec 87 18:30:35 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: Boeing Computer Services ATC, Seattle
Lines: 22


(I'm tired of seeing subscribers to this group argue on what should and
should not be posted. Since I've been a subscriber there hasn't been
enough material to worry about what's posted.  I suggest that the
people who don't want to see articles on parrots just set up kill files
(for 'rn') to kill those articles (conversely the parrot people can
kill all articles not dealing with parrots). Enough!)

We have a couple of feeders hanging in an almost dead maple tree (10')
in the back yard.  This winter we've had a pair of hairy woodpeckers
coming to feed. Their behavior has been quite interesting. Rather than
breaking the small black sunflower seeds directly (like the jays,
etc.), the woodpeckers drill a hole in the maple, fly to the feeder and
retrieve a seed, fly back and insert the seed in the hole, then use
their beak to break the seed open and consume the insides. Since they
use the same hole over and over again for breaking seeds, they are not
storing the seeds for later use.  It's been a lot of fun watching
them.
-- 
Opinions expressed are strictly my own:
Shamus Mc Bride		uucp:      uw-beaver!uw-june!bcsaic!shamus
(206) 865-3401          internet:  shamus@boeing.com