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Woodpecker Holes
Woodpeckers around our place have started drilling. For some people it ca be a taxing experience when they are woken up far earlier than they want to be by a lovely Northern Flicker who has found a wonderful bit of flashing in their roof to drum away on. To a Flicker, it makes such a fine loud noise and makes them feel so macho. He imagines that any female Flicker would fall into a swoon hearing his expert drumming. To the resident of the house, it makes a horrid loud noise.
But like all woodpeckers Flickers, are built to drill into trees. it’s what they do best. And, unlike some of us, dozens of other forest critters than them for it. The reason is because of the holes they make. It’s not just woodpeckers that nest in holes in trees. But it’s only woodpeckers that make holes in trees. So for a wide variety of other animals woodpeckers arfe critical to thier existence. Here’s a partial list of wildlife that uses woodpecker holes in British Columbia:
* 6 duck species including wood duck, goldeneyes, and mergansers
* 6 owl species including, screech, saw-whet, barred, and pygmy owls
* 2 swallow species
* 3 chickadee species (sometime they can make thier own nest if the tree is very rotten.)
* 4 nuthatch species
* 2 Wrens
* Bluebirds
* bees
* Squirrels such as the flying squirrel, Douglas Squirrel and others
* weasels, fisher & martens
* a variety of bats.
Over all 80 species of animals rely on woodpeckers for the holes they make. So the next time you are woken up at an ungodly hour of the morning, you may not like it. but perhaps you’ll understand it.
Here’s a link for you to read more about it.