RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER
birdfotos.com
Red-naped Sapsucker/Yellow-bellied??
Sphyrapicus nuchalis
Map and range not to any scale.
I CAN'T DECIDE IF IT'S A YELLOW-BELLIED OR A RED-NAPED
THE TWO WHITE MARKS ONE ON TOP OF THE EYE AND ONE UNDER THE EYE WOULD INDICATE TO ME A YELLOW-BELLIED, BUT THE RED MARK ON THE BACK OF THE HEAD MAKES ME THINK ABOUT A RED-NAPED.
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The Red-naped Sapsucker pecks a way the bark in very small square and rectangular shapes so the sap will run out. I'll try to show these holes. The bird also eats insects.
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As you can see the Sapsucker doesn't really peck or drill deep holes. At the most they are no deeper than an 8th. of an inch. The dark area under the holes is where the sap has been running out of the hole and down the tree. |
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When you see holes like the ones above and you want to see who is coming to them, back off about 20 feet, stand close to a tree trunk, or behind a bush, and if you have the patience to wait long enough the bird will return to partake of the running sap. If there is no sap running don't wait. The bird will not come.
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Now that I have got my self hid in a bush some 15 to 20 feet away let's see what comes to these sap holes.
You can't blink or look around to see if the bird is coming.
It all happens in a few seconds.
One minute its not there and the next it is.
If you look at its bill you can see bark being held in place by sap. This Bird has been busy.
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It sure didn't take this birder long to start licking up the sap that had filled up each hole.
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As I have said many times on this site, if your going to photograph birds,
always get as many angle shots as you can. It will help you with the identification. This image shows the red on its nape.
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And now we see the front. What this bird is looking at is two other Red-naped Sapsuckers flying around the same tree this bird is in.
If two birds came to the same sap holes at the same time feathers would fly.
These appear to all be males, so I guess I had better start looking for the females; RIGHT?
Could you tell the difference if you saw the two together??
Perhaps you may want to to see the difference.
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A few new photos taken at Ash Canyon Arizona 10/19/05
Bird links page. Sapsucker index page.
You may contact me at birdfotos@aol.com
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