Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus)
Let’s switch gears from the little migrant birds to the big resident birds with this Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) as photographed last week during its breakfast. This meal, while being obviously tasty and delicious, also provides us a lesson in forest and yard management. Most of the time Pileated Woodpeckers can be found eating at dying, dead or fallen trees like this one as they hammer away for ants and various insects associated with decaying wood. If we removed all of the rotting wood from the forest or our yards what would they have to eat? Not much! If you can safely...
Read MoreTree Hollow
I always walk past this decaying dogwood tree hoping to find something in here – a roosting owl, the beginning of a nest, some small mammal crammed in there for a nap. It is probably in too open of an area for anything, but my hope remains. Someday, something…always keep an eye open for shelters like this one, and one day you may end up with a little gift. Once again, this is why we should leave our dying or dead woody vegetation in place. At least it serves as a place to grab a meal. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreThanks Attendees! Collaborative Forest Pest Project Information Session
A big “thank you!” to everyone who attended our Collaborative Forest Pest Project Information Session this past Thursday night at the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History in Jamestown, New York. Here you can see RTPI Conservation Technician Elyse Henshaw who did a terrific job educating over 20 members of the public on devastating forest pests like Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA), an aphid-like insect targeting Eastern Hemlock trees, and Emerald Ash Borer (EAB), a wood boring insect targeting all of our Ash trees. As these pests threaten Chautauqua County organizations...
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