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Dawn Chorus - Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers; go with the flow. [1]

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Date: 2023-09-03

In my study of woodpeckers, I found the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker a most curious addition. They seem to have the same hunger for sweet liquids as Hummingbirds (with a scaled down energy level.) I’ll offer more after the page break.

I read that Sapsuckers make two different types of holes to extract sap from trees. Some are small, round and shallow indents ( usually in a grid pattern) that will produce a lot of liquid in a short time. These are called “sap wells” and are usually a Spring technique as the sap is “rising” within the tree via the cambium layer (from the roots to the limbs). Here’s an example.

This damage causes the tree to “weep” sap for rapid collection by the Sapsuckers.

Larger holes are more spread out, deeper and sqaure-ish in shape. An example can be seen in the next photo (from the same tree — next to the “sap well” area).

These larger holes are usually made later in the year as the sap is “falling” from the tops of the trees to the roots. The sap flows slower and closer to the sapwood part of the xylum. The shape of the hole allows the bird to turn it’s beak within the gap to lap up the liquid.

I have noticed that most of the larger holes are made lower on the bole of trees and more often to trees that grow close to a water source. The tree I have been observing is next to a drainage ditch. During the Fall, this tree retains it’s leaves longer, so my guess is, had more sap flowing for a longer period.

I deduce Sapsucker migration coinciding with the trees beginning their Spring bloom through out the range map (included below). The Sapsuckers migrate south as Fall reduces the available food and the sap drops into the roots. Imagine the leaves changing as a cue for the migration period.

Range map from the Cornell site. Orange — breeding, Yellow — migration, blue — non-breeding

The trees that produce the sweetest sap are deciduous (not conifers with their thicker and more acrid, resinous sap) and preferred by the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.

Here is a video I made in March 2022 with the urgency of the female (in the title) image trying to get the sap to flow fast and easily.

17 second video



Sapsuckers usually remain in cooler areas, near water, here in Mississippi. I think they have an intolerance for heat. During the winter, they will feed on berries and drupes (Black Gum fruit, Persimmon, and Muscadine) to compensate for abundant sweet liquids.

I wish I had more film to offer but, a computer crash three years ago destroyed several of my files (one being a Yellow-bellied eating Cedar berries). I can offer this short video of a Hairy Woodpecker (taken August 28th, 2023) climbing a tree to examine an older woodpecker home.

One will notice that the beak length equals the head diameter (securing the species id). Downy and Hairy woodpeckers are hard enough to differentiate between when flitting among the branches and leaves.

My Bug of the Day is a high flier that seldom lands this time of year. This lousy photo is a male Stripped Meadowhawk ( Sympetrum pallipes ). The red tail glows in the sun as they fly overhead. The yellow bodies seem like a headlight as they flash by.

I hope the information will prompt you to bring your own photos and observations forward. Any topic works for this is also an open thread.

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