Comments on: Winter Break

By: Ants, Incredible Ants! « Greg Dodge Journal

Ants, Incredible Ants! « Greg Dodge Journal — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 18:04:52 +0000

[...] be looking for our little honey ants around the sapsucker holes that I’m sure to find later this winter. PreviousSome [...]

By: Greg Dodge, Ranger

Greg Dodge, Ranger — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 17:06:11 +0000

The small holes made by the sapsucker usually heal with little or no effect on the tree.
However, as you suggest, many other birds as well as the sapsucker who made the drillings, visit the holes and lap up the insects that are attracted to the sap. So, the sapsucker, by pecking the small holes in the tree not only reaps the rewards itself but also opens up a whole new food source for a variety of other creatures, both insect and avian.

By: barney

barney — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 16:30:12 +0000

The wood above the [sic] would start
to decay and bugs may jump in there. That may be a nice treat for a woodpecker. The sapsucker put a crack in the dam. Nature takes any break it can.

By: Greg Dodge, Ranger

Greg Dodge, Ranger — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 19:41:28 +0000

Thanks for commenting.
I’ve seen the sapsucker on the tree but did not see it excavate those particular holes. What is it about the upper holes (other than their non-linear orientation) that makes you feel that it is from another bird?

By: barney kohout

barney kohout — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 01:27:55 +0000

The lower holes in the maple tree look like Sapsucker holes
but could the upper holes be from another bird maybe even looking for bugs as well as sap ?
Did you see this happen live .