• Wednesday-What'sUP May 8 - 08:39 am

When Z-Man sent this stunning photo, my first thought was that of a Hairy or Downy woodpecker, but come to find out, it's actually a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. Now to me, that's a bit confusing, as you would think that red on the head and the throat would call for a different name for this medium size woodpecker. Oh well...

The second picture comes from Bill Haller and shows the damage woodpeckers can do to a seemingly, healthy looking tree. I'm assuming though, that a much larger woodpecker left this mess. Bill also said that this tree (and possibly those surrounding it) may be suffering from "heart-rot", where they rot from the inside out, so that would make them more susceptible to the sharp bill of a woodpecker.

In the third photo, taken by my hubby, Jim Drew, you get another look at a couple holes punched in a tree by woodpeckers, above this little stream. That last shot is just a bonus look at the same stream, further along its path. I like the little falls there, created by some dammed up branches and since we have kind of a "falls/water" theme going this week so far, I figured these would fit right in. If you're wondering the name for this little tributary, it doesn't really have one, it's just a feeder to the Sawmill Creek outside of Lake Linden.

Nice pics, always a wonder what small and not so small birds can do - of course they were preceded by tiny insects!

Very nice. They are very hard working, aren't they? But then, most animals are. We humans should take an example from them.

I remember several epidsodes from The Beverly Hillbillies, Granny was in search of Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers for recipes.

I never knew a yellow-bellied sapsucker was a woodpecker! Cause she sucks sap?

Snowman should make a poem!

But remember, this is a family friendly site....

Seems like you'd need quite a few yellow-bellied sapsuckers to make any kind of recipe. Especially if you're feeding Jethro.

In the third photo, there's a brook trout under that cut in the bank behind the trees.

I've got a yellow belly but I'm a woodpecker.
You may think I'm cute but I'm a tree wrecker.
I tap and I tap till my head starts to pound,
The forest echoes with that tapping sound.
If you want to save all your trees so dear,
Then let me tap that old keg of beer.


For Maija
By Snowman

Yes, reminds me of when we would walk these streams and hand fish for brookies...Had to look under every bank to get a good days catch. Would fish the Hungarian, Sawmill, Quincy, and McCullens creek and keep them in a empty bread wrapper.
As a note...gas today here in Monroe County is $3.85 per gallon and sorry to say this will keep all of my trips to places below the Big Mac bridge..

Dunerat, I snuck up on that cut in the bank with my ice fishing pole, a hook and a worm. That 15" brook trout is now sizzling in my frying pan!

Snowman -- you're a poet and don't know it, but your feet show it --- they are long fellers.

I always thought those large holes as shown in pic. 2 were from bears scratching for ants and such. Can anyone else shed some light on this?

I believe the huge holes in the trees, as shown in picture 2, are made by pileated woodpeckers - the big guys. They start out by making rather large rectangular holes, then just whale away at the tree until the whole thing is a pile of chips underneath. I've seen a lot of those trees this spring in Keweenaw. It must have been a hungry winter, and now that the sap is running, the pileateds are making up for lost time.

I love your poem, Snowman and I love these spring pictures today.

Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers spend their winters down here in the South. They typically make holes in rows, they like certain species of trees, and they do drink the sap. Other species of birds have been known to visit the holes and drink the sap also.

Pileated's work for sure. I listen for their sound, to find where they are. They are so wary, I've never been able to catch a good picture yet.

They were the basis for the Woody the Woodpecker cartoon character.

I knew you would come through, Mr. Snowman!

We always hear them when we are in the woods but we are to noisy to see them, any of them. All animals flee when we are out and about.

As a side note I was Woody Woodpecker for halloween one year.

Mary, your comment on the strange naming of the Yellow Bellied Sapsucker reminds me of one of our backyard visitors - the Red-Bellied Woodpecker. He has a wide stripe of bright red from the top of his head to his neck, but his belly is light grey with just a pale pink spot on it. Makes you wonder who names these things!

Hey Snowman where did you find that poem on the web at?

It is a lovely poem tho!

Helen in the UP-Snowman does his own poems.

Oh Helen, ye of little faith. I do have some talents besides melting on the living room carpet.

KJ, remind me to send you an autographed copy of my book titled, "How To Make People Happy".

I forgot to mention what lovely pictures, especially Z-Man's.

No matter what, I was up at 5:45 a.m. and the site hasn't changed yet at 6:06

Yes, the holes in the trees are the trademark of the Pileated woodpecker. They visit us quite often here on Drummond Island--or I should say, they visit our suet feeders!

Oops, I tried to post a picture I took last summer. I'll try again.

[IMG]http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s144/islandphotog/Pileatedwoodpecker.jpg[/IMG]