Some Cool Southern Birds!
The finale of the Space Coast Birding &Wildlife Festival was a morning on my own. While often leading trips in the field, I also like to enjoy some solitude and absorb some of the gems of the land. I decided to go to Hal Scott Nature Preserve which is mainly Scrub Palmetto habitat, Longleaf Pines, and oaks. Perfectly suitable habitat for Red-cockaded Woodpecker (pines) and Bachman's Sparrow (ground floor). It was a brisk morning, but with nobody around I was breathing easy.
The Red-cockaded Woodpecker is an endangered species that is heavily managed by the St. John's River Water Management District, in that area. This woodpecker is the only one of it's kind to excavate their holes in live pines. Most woodpeckers use rotting wood in which the heartwood is soft and easy to drill into. Not only will they excavate in live pines they will continuously drill minute holes around the cavity in order to keep an ample amount of sap flowing down the tree. This acts as a defense mechanism for their primary predator outside of man. The creature I am talking about is the Rat Snake. Rat Snakes will wind their way up the tree and feast of the eggs inside the cavity like other predators of the woodpecker. The excavation of holes by these gorgeous birds also assists other species in their survival. Birds like Eastern Bluebirds, Carolina Chickadees, Tufted Titmouse, and other woodpeckers will use vacant holes for their broods. Can you see how the circle of life plays out? Everything in nature has it's rightful place.
The Red-cockaded Woodpecker is an endangered species that is heavily managed by the St. John's River Water Management District, in that area. This woodpecker is the only one of it's kind to excavate their holes in live pines. Most woodpeckers use rotting wood in which the heartwood is soft and easy to drill into. Not only will they excavate in live pines they will continuously drill minute holes around the cavity in order to keep an ample amount of sap flowing down the tree. This acts as a defense mechanism for their primary predator outside of man. The creature I am talking about is the Rat Snake. Rat Snakes will wind their way up the tree and feast of the eggs inside the cavity like other predators of the woodpecker. The excavation of holes by these gorgeous birds also assists other species in their survival. Birds like Eastern Bluebirds, Carolina Chickadees, Tufted Titmouse, and other woodpeckers will use vacant holes for their broods. Can you see how the circle of life plays out? Everything in nature has it's rightful place.
While walking through the scrub my ears captured the call note of a Red-cockaded close by. The call I am referring to is the loud PUUURT, often in succession of one another. There is also a very high pitched Tsik that may be heard as well. These cooperative breeders are not fertile during their first year of life. The young (mainly males) assist in brood rearing and food searching. They do this because the juveniles are dependent of the adults for up to five to six months after hatching. Nevertheless, the pair I had seen was extremely active and appeared to be courting.
Notice the wings flapping here. It is very difficult to see here but this was the male getting excited. Male and female Red-cockaded Woodpeckers are nearly identical with the male having a minute red flare at the top of the auriculars. Other than that we are looking for the large white cheek patch, clean ventral parts, ladder-patterned back, and short stubby bill. Those are the main attributes that make this bird stand out. Other woodpeckers occur in the same habitat like Downy, Hairy, and Red-bellied Woodpeckers. Downy and Hairy have a white oval on the back and lack the huge white auriculars of the Red-cockaded. Red-bellied has a ladder-patterned back, but it is dusty colored underneath, much larger, with a longer bill.
Of course, Red-cockaded Woodpeckers don't totally rule the land. Nearly a United States endemic, the Brown-headed Nuthatch roams the canopy of this habitat in search of insects and seeds. However, they blend in so well you are most likely to hear their calls first giving off peet-peet-peet at a high-pitch and if there are a lot of them the calls can be incessant. This nuthatch is morphologically similar to the Pygmy Nuthatch which is also similar in calls and is noted for it's miniature tail making the bird look butt-less, so-to-speak. Brown-headed share that characteristic. Even given the two bird's similarities the Brown-headed has a much more defined cap not to mention their ranges are separated by well over 1,000 miles in between.
So even though this day was cold and rainy with no sunlight, I treasure the time I spend with these southern specialties.
All of these shots were taken by Mike Freiberg using a Nikon D200 and a 300mm F4 Nikkor lens. Good Birding!
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