[Umpqua Birds] Re: hariy woodpecker crisis

From: "Gayner, Elizabeth" <egayner@xxxxxxx>
To: Francis Eatherington <francis@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 1 Jun 2015 17:15:55 -0700

Hello Birders,

If you are interested in aging birds by molts/ feathers... continue on.
Otherwise you may delete.

I finally got to look at the pic on a real computer (vs my little phone).
Happy to hear this bird recovered!

Thought I would take advantage of the close up picture and pass along some
info on aging birds... criteria we look at when banding birds based on molt
limits/ feathers. Typically the tail and wings are stretched out to
compare the individual and sets of feathers to each other by wear, size,
shape, and color/ color contrasts. But going off this pic... this is what
I can share with ya....

Woodpeckers can retain three generations of feathers - juvenile, formative,
and basic (adult)... and is usually based on looking at the rectrices,
flight feathers, and greater and secondary coverts. This bird appears to be
a second year male (born last year - in his second spring/summer) based on
the following:

- Duller (brownish) juvenile feathers in his primaries and secondaries
(compared to the black rectrices and back feathers).
- Some retained brown feathers contrasting with the black feathers on
the back- third year or older adults are typically all black.
- The lack of a full red feathering on the nape is another indicator of
age as well... a third year or older male will have a red nape.
- Lastly, the iris color on this bird is grayish brown versus a deep
reddish color (typical of birds in their third year or older).

If you want more info on this check out the following link:

http://www.birdpop.org/pages/pubsDatabase.php *(search molt and feather
studies)*

recent publication from the above link:
http://www.birdpop.org/docs/pubs/Pyle_2008_Birding_by_Feather_A_Molt_Primer.pdf

Anyway, hope some folks find the info helpful and/or interesting. It is
always a fun challenge in the field for us to age a bird in hand...
although can be frustrating as well since birds don't always follow the
literature and patterns that are published. Still an evolving method of
aging birds. :O)

*For the Birds,*

**
*Liz*

*Elizabeth I. Gayner*

*OR/WA BLM Peregrine Falcon Technical Coordinator*

*Lead Wildlife Biologist - Swiftwater Field Office*

Bureau of Land Management - Roseburg District Office

Phone: (541) 464-3381; egayner@xxxxxxx

On Sat, May 30, 2015 at 11:56 AM, Francis Eatherington <
francis@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

I heard it fly into our window, and found it laying on it's back on our
deck, breathing heavily. I put the cloth over it and laid it in a safe
place in the grass in the shade, and tried to prop it's head up a bit.

It's been about 30 minutes. It's still breathing, shaking now and then.

We have a hairy woodpecker nest in a dead branch at the top of our old
walnut tree. We've been watching the adults feeding the nestlings. Gosh, I
hope the babies survive this as well.

Francis

Follow-Ups:
- [Umpqua Birds] Re: hairy woodpecker crisis
  - From: jeoreid

[Umpqua Birds] Re: hariy woodpecker crisis

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