Fauna Report

During my first observation, I found a Hairy Woodpecker, or Picoides villosus, hunting in an aspen tree. This bird can be any where from 7.1 to 10.2 inches and 1.4 to 3.4 ounces. It has a white breast, black wings, and a large chisel-shaped bill. The male has a red patch on the back of his head. That means the one I saw was male. This bird can be confused with the Downy Woodpecker, except that the Downy is much smaller, and has a proportionally smaller bill. This is also a bird that is non migratory. This species of bird prefers to hunt for the tree-boring beetle larvae, they do this by feeling the vibrations of the insects in the bark. This would be one of the woodpeckers' niche, to eat the beetles that pose a threat to the host tree. Another niche that the Hairy woodpecker has is to proved food for other predators, like my cat. The Hairy Woodpecker likes to live in mature forests, but can be seen in suburbs and open woodlands as well. Once the female woodpecker is ready to lay her eggs, she excavates a branch that is at an angle with the ground. She will do this less than two weeks before she lays the eggs. I wonder if I'll see one nesting...

Picture from: http://www.sunrisesidesnapshots.com/photo-series/hairy-woodpecker
Information from: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Hairy_Woodpecker/id
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Birds of Grand Teton National Park and the Surrounding Area. by Bert Reynes. pg 51