A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about a recent experience with a Rock Sandpiper in San Francisco which reminded me that birding is about more than just the birds: it's about the places the birds inhabit and the work that is being done to protect them. But there's more. Birding is about people, too. It's about learning from those who are more skilled, and sharing with those newer to the field; about coming together, regardless of differences, for a common cause to admire and protect. Ultimately, it's about more than a love of birds. It's about humility and friendship and generosity.
I would never have found this lovely male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker if it wasn't for an unlikely friendship, forged through a mutual love of birds and our Creator. Ed, to whom I was introduced by my father-in-law, is an avid wildlife photographer and recently shared a photo of a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker he had come across. I was excited by his excellent "accidental" find, as this particular sapsucker is rare in our area, and contacted him right away for specific details. He was kind enough to provide detailed directions that would guide me straight to this beautiful wayward bird.
Eric tagged along as I gleefully set out on this avian treasure hunt, following Ed's written directions and looking for specific landmarks - including a green fence and a hole in the ground! Just finding the spot was half the fun! And sure enough, we walked right to the exact location (the hole in the ground), and within a minute or so, Eric said, rather casually, "There's a woodpecker in that tree. Is that it?"
Why, yes! Yes that is it!
Related to the Red-breasted Sapsucker, which is far more common in California, the breeding range of the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker extends in a swath stretching across Canada and down into the northern and northeastern United States. During the winter, the sapsucker moves south along the Atlantic seaboard and into the central, southern and southeastern United States and Mexico. Occasionally, a few turn up in California, presumably individuals from the provinces of western Canada that migrated south along the Pacific rather than following their more traditional easterly route.
In any case, it is a delight to birders when one of these lovely members of the woodpecker family turns up in California! Happily, they have a habit of hanging out in the same small area all winter, often making it pleasantly easy to re-find them over a period of time! This male has probably been quietly going about his business in this unassuming pocket of habitat in the Coast Range all winter, and should be heading back north very soon.
Sapsuckers, like all woodpeckers, spend most of their lives clinging vertically to tree trunks, hitching along using their stiff tails as props as they probe the bark for insects and larvae. Sapsuckers are unique in their habit of drilling evenly spaced rows of sap wells, shallow holes that tap into the tree's living sapwood. As these wells fill with sap, they trap small insects, augmenting the sapsucker's diet. Other species benefit from sapsucker wells also, as hummingbirds, warblers and others have been observed feeding from sapsucker wells.
While I freely admit that people can be challenging to deal with, and birds are much easier (especially for a quiet-loving introvert like myself), experiences like this one remind me of the great value found in friendships of all kinds, with all types of people: each one a fellow image-bearer of our wonderful God. Birds exist more or less independently of us; birding, on the other hand, as a science, hobby and otherwise all-consuming pursuit, thrives only because people are willing to venture out, to see and to share.
Thanks, Ed!
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