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Hi Ian & All, Nov 27, 2014
Thanks for the comments.=20
About the time I sent those images of a "Pileated" woodpecker =
nesting cavity on Nov 12 I realized that it could well be the cavity of =
a smaller woodpecker e.g. Hairy. My only reason for the Pileated label =
was having seen/heard Pileated on or near that tree about 2011, the =
presumed Pileated activity about 50 paces away (Apr 4, 2013 e-mail) and =
the Pileated observed making a hole about 200 paces away (Apr 15, 2013 =
e-mail); both pasted below.=20
According to the Cornell site, a Pileated entrance hole should be =
~3.5" diameter with nesting cavity 10-24" deep. Based on my photos that =
entrance was about 1.6" in diameter and the cavity was about 15" deep. =
So for the time being one should regard my images as being of a =
Woodpecker nesting cavity.=20
Those nesting hole pieces are currently on top of the wood tier, =
holding plastic down, and I will measure the dimensions directly when I =
have a chance because a scale in images can be deceptive due to =
parallax.
=20
That Apr 15, 2013 tree was topped by Arthur but I don't know whether =
the break was above, at or below the Pileated hole. I had intended to =
leave both snag & top as wildlife habitat but, now that the question of =
entrance hole dimensions has come up, I will try to get measurements if =
feasible.=20
Yt, Dave Webster Kentville
START OF PASTE\\\\\\\\\\\\
Dear All, Apr 15, 2013
On Apr 4, I split some Poplar windfall wood chunked Dec 26 some 200=20
paces from the Pileated hole (below).
On Apr 6, I split the rest and noticed Pileated chips nearby but =
could=20
not see.where the chips had come from. On Apr 7 I worked there briefly,=20
clearing space for a tier, and noticed more chips.
Today I started piling above split wood and soon became aware of=20
Pileated activity in the the tree about one pace from the end of the =
tier;=20
first as falling chips while I was cutting runners with the chain saw =
and=20
then (after removing ear plugs) tuck tuck tuck (like a one-lunger =
on=20
idle and far enough away to be barely audible) and with about 1/2 of the =
tail sticking out from the hole and upward. After a few minutes of this =
it=20
would back out of the hole, reach in and down, pull its head back out =
and=20
flick 2 or 3 chips to the right.
It did not seem at all disturbed by my working there but acted =
anxious=20
and took off when I tried to take a picture. Within minutes of my =
starting=20
to work again it came back and resumed work on the nest cavity. I was =
there=20
about 90 min and it worked most of this time; except when I spooked it =
with=20
the camera and once when it flew to a nearby Ash, cackled, moved upward =
in=20
the Ash and then flew back to the hole.
I have watched Pileated feeding many times but not seen a nest =
cavity=20
being excavated. The surprise was how muted the sound is. Making a hole =
in=20
wood parallel to the grain is very difficult unless you have a relief =
hole=20
drilled first and can see; so how they manage is a mystery. This tree is =
free of Fomes brackets but the tree center may be softened by fungal=20
invasion.
On an unrelated note, I saw on Apr 4 where a Squirrel had left a =
litter=20
of White Pine cone scales on wood cut Dec 26. But the nearest White Pine =
is=20
about 200 yards away (400 yards as the Squirrel runs across, up, along,=20
down...). The attraction here is perhaps the shelter provided by the =
partly=20
upturned SE facing stump of the windfall; used by Ruffed Grouse also at =
some=20
point.
YT, Dave Webster, Kentville
----- Original Message -----=20
From: "David & Alison Webster" <dwebster@glinx.com>
To: <NatureNS@chebucto.ns.ca>
Sent: Thursday, April 04, 2013 6:41 PM
Subject: Pileated WP
> Dear All, Apr 4, 2013
> While in North Alton this afternoon I noticed that a Pileated=20
> Woodpecker (to judge from the size of the chips and size of the hole)=20
> recently made a nest hole well up in a Poplar. I want to avoid the=20
> immediate area until I am reasonably sure they have either settled in =
or=20
> moved on.
>
> Is Mid-May a safe time ?
> Yt, Dave Webster, Kentville=20
eND OF PASTE\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
=20
----- Original Message -----=20
From: Ian McLaren=20
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca=20
Sent: Thursday, November 13, 2014 12:16 PM
Subject: [NatureNS] Pileated Woodpecker nest holes
David et al:
Rot appears to be a choice among Pileated oopdpeckers, as indicated in =
snippets from "The Birsds of N. Am". on-in.
[In the east] "The majority of nest trees were dead (Table 3), and =
most of the nest trees fell over, broke apart, or were cracked by the =
following year and were unsuitable for nesting again . . ." =20
And: "In Montana, roost trees contained more entrance holes and had a =
higher basal area in surrounding forest than at nest trees (McClelland =
and McClelland 1999). In Arkansas, nests were in decayed dead trees that =
typically were not suitable for nesting a second year; roosts were =
primarily in larger, taller, live trees with multiple cavities . . ."
The second snippet is interesting. Does anyone know about the making =
and use of roost cavities here?
Cheers, Ian
Ian McLaren
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<DIV>Hi Ian & All, =
=20
=
Nov=20
27, 2014</DIV>
<DIV> Thanks for the comments. </DIV>
<DIV> About the time I sent those images of a =
"Pileated"=20
woodpecker nesting cavity on Nov 12 I realized that it could well =
be the=20
cavity of a smaller woodpecker e.g. Hairy. My only reason for the =
Pileated label=20
was having seen/heard Pileated on or near that tree about 2011, the =
presumed=20
Pileated activity about 50 paces away (Apr 4, 2013 e-mail) and the =
Pileated observed making