The story behind the Woodpecker footage.
We’ve always kept one corner of our property quite wild and overgrown to encourage wildlife and it has proven successful. We’ve had Cooper’s Hawks, Screech Owls, Skunks, Opossums, Bob Cats, Coyotes, to name but a few.
A few years ago one of the older oak trees collapsed. When it fell a large opening appeared in the canopy and with our Nest box now overly exposed our Screech owls did not return. But every cloud has it’s silver lining….
When the tree fell, I trimmed and removed most of the branches but left the main bough for potential camping firewood. Then when moving the nest box last year a thought occurred to me. Since the old bough had started to partially rot, I thought it may provide potential habitat for a woodpecker nest. I’d heard Nuttall’s Woodpecker activity in the area and having photographed them before, know that unlike our other Acorn Woodpeckers, the Nuttall’s don’t reuse their nest holes and always excavate a new hole each season. So I stood the bough up, leaned it against one of our other oak trees, and walked away. Honestly, at the time I really thought it was a long shot, but figured, what have I got to lose?
Seven months later – SUCCESS!!
Perfect conditions. The nest cavity is in the shade under a grove of Oak trees.
The chicks make quite a mess inside the nest cavity. So most times when a parent drops off, they also pick up 🙂
The males aren’t the only ones doing the feeding. Both parents share the load.
One of the very hungry chicks
Interestingly, thie adult male is in the middle of a molt. He currently has small pin feathers for his ornamental red cap.
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The biggest of the brood, this male, fledged early. Eventually I was able to return him to the cavity. Looking forward to seeing how it all plays out.
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I managed to get him back in. I now see why he was so reluctant. There’s another one in there and it’s getting a little cramped….
Eating, it’s what chicks do best!
One week since the previous video, the first chick is ready to fledge. This one is a male, the other is a female. The parent stopped feeding the chicks this morning to encourage them to leave the nest and sure enough, this one left this morning.
After Fledging, the first chick was harassed by an Acorn Woodpecker, then landed very close to me. This gave me an opportunity to snap a full length photo before he headed off into the wilds of Lake Hodges. It’s a dangerous world out there… Good luck, maybe I’ll see you in the future with your own chicks.
And a reminder of my New Website for purchasing my ART.
One of my favorite aspects of the site is the way in which a potential print can be hung on a mockup of the room in which it’s intended. The room can be changed, the wall color can be changed, and even a photo loaded of the ACTUAL room. Shop with confidence that the print will indeed compliment the room and décor. https://www.lakehodgesphototours.art/shop-art.
If there are any specific prints you’d like that are not yet on the site, please let me know and I’ll get the high res versions loaded.
Please contact me directly by email if interested in heading out on the Lake or walking the area for any photography or videography. The Lake has only a limited number of days each week / season open for boating, so happy to visit other local reservoirs if needed. Walking and hiking is accessible any day, 365 days a year. Feel free to share on your preferred Social Media, and subscribe at the foot of this page.
Until next time
