[TN-Bird] Re: Yellow-bellied sapsucker eating holly berries

  • From: "Charles Nicholson" <cpnichol@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <vgoolsby@xxxxxxxxx>, <jmarcetich@xxxxxxxxx>, <tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Tue, 12 Jan 2010 20:23:56 -0500

Wedging a seed in a crevice and them hammering it open is common in
Red-bellied Woodpeckers.  I've never seen a sapsucker do this.  I have,
however, watched sapsuckers pick and swallow holly berries on a couple
occasions.  On at least a couple occasions I've also seen sapsuckers pick
and swallow poison ivy berries.  Pileated Woodpeckers will also occasionally
eat berries - I once saw one eating poison ivy berries and on a couple
occasions I've seen them picking and eating dogwood berries.  This
interesting to watch as the Pileated was hanging by its feet from the end of
the dogwood branch as it picked the berries.  When one of these birds was
done, it dropped from the branch, spread its wings, barrel-rolled and flew
off.  I wish I had seen how it got into the position of hanging from the end
of the branch in the first place.

Chuck Nicholson
Norris, TN


-----Original Message-----
From: tn-bird-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:tn-bird-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of Virginia Goolsby
Sent: Monday, January 11, 2010 12:21 PM
To: jmarcetich@xxxxxxxxx; tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [TN-Bird] Re: Yellow-bellied sapsucker eating holly berries

Monday, January 11, 2010
 
While I have not seen the action you are reporting, I have watched a
Red-bellied Woodpecker take black-oil sunflower seeds and wedge them into a
crack in the bark of a tree and proceed to peck the seeds to open the hulls.
Titmice seem to do the same thing and also Carolina Chickadees. I've always
felt that, lacking a good "seed-cracking" bill, they resorted to stabilizing
the seeds and then opened the hull by pecking.

Such interesting and entertaining feathered creatures!

Ginger Goolsby

Hamblen County
Morristown, TN 37815




-----Original Message-----
From: tn-bird-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:tn-bird-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of james marcetich
Sent: Monday, January 11, 2010 11:40 AM
To: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [TN-Bird] Re: Yellow-bellied sapsucker eating holly berries



On Friday I observed a yellow-bellied sapsucker eating a holly berry, but it
didn't swallow the berry whole.  The sapsucker flew to a nearby tree trunk
and wedged the berry into the furrows of the bark...at first I thought it
might be storing berries like an acorn woodpecker, but instead it proceeded
to chop/slice the berry with its beak, and to eat it in pieces.   

No idea if this is common behavior, but I found it surprising, and seemed to
be almost 'tool-making' to wedge the berry for consumption.  Anyway,
interesting and fun to observe at close-range.

James Marcetich

Charles Russell Obed River Preserve
Crossville, Tennessee



      
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=================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER=====================

The TN-Bird Net requires you to SIGN YOUR MESSAGE with first and last name,
CITY (TOWN) and state abbreviation.
You are also required to list the COUNTY in which the birds you report were
seen.  The actual DATE OF OBSERVATION should appear in the first paragraph.
_____________________________________________________________
      To post to this mailing list, simply send email to:
                    tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
_____________________________________________________________ 
                To unsubscribe, send email to:
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            with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field.
______________________________________________________________
  TN-Bird Net is owned by the Tennessee Ornithological Society 
       Neither the society(TOS) nor its moderator(s)
        endorse the views or opinions expressed
        by the members of this discussion group.
 
         Moderator: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN
                 wallace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
                ------------------------------
                Assistant Moderator Andy Jones
                         Cleveland, OH
                -------------------------------
               Assistant Moderator Dave Worley
                          Rosedale, VA
               --------------------------------
               Assistant Moderator Chris O'Bryan
                        Clarksville, TN
__________________________________________________________
         
          Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society
              web site at http://www.tnbirds.org
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                          ARCHIVES
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                       MAP RESOURCES
Tenn.Counties Map at http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/states/tennessee3.gif
Aerial photos to complement google maps http://local.live.com

_____________________________________________________________




=================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER=====================

The TN-Bird Net requires you to SIGN YOUR MESSAGE with
first and last name, CITY (TOWN) and state abbreviation.
You are also required to list the COUNTY in which the birds
you report were seen.  The actual DATE OF OBSERVATION should
appear in the first paragraph.
_____________________________________________________________
      To post to this mailing list, simply send email to:
                    tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
_____________________________________________________________ 
                To unsubscribe, send email to:
                 tn-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
            with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field.
______________________________________________________________
  TN-Bird Net is owned by the Tennessee Ornithological Society 
       Neither the society(TOS) nor its moderator(s)
        endorse the views or opinions expressed
        by the members of this discussion group.
 
         Moderator: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN
                 wallace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
                ------------------------------
                Assistant Moderator Andy Jones
                         Cleveland, OH
                -------------------------------
               Assistant Moderator Dave Worley
                          Rosedale, VA
               --------------------------------
               Assistant Moderator Chris O'Bryan
                        Clarksville, TN
__________________________________________________________
         
          Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society
              web site at http://www.tnbirds.org
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

                          ARCHIVES
 TN-Bird Net Archives at //www.freelists.org/archives/tn-bird/

                       MAP RESOURCES
Tenn.Counties Map at http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/states/tennessee3.gif
Aerial photos to complement google maps http://local.live.com

_____________________________________________________________


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