Marlene, Good points. We have seldom had sapsuckers at our suet feeder in
winter. This year it's a different story. We've had 1 (or more) visit
almost daily during the cold snap. Best, Dave
On Sat, Jan 6, 2018 at 7:28 AM, Marlene A Condon via va-bird <
va-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Hi Hayes,
When it is very cold, sap stops flowing. If sapsuckers are still in an
area, it's probably kind to help them out with suet.
Undoubtedly the reason you are seeing a sapsucker so close to the ground
this year is because close to the ground is the only possibility for the
bird to find sap if it is moving at all.
Sincerely,
Marlene
Marlene A Condon, Author/Photographer--The Nature-friendly Garden:
Creating a Backyard Haven for Plants, Wildlife, and People (Stackpole Books)
5554 Sugar Ridge Road
Crozet, VA 22932-2204
Phone: 434--823-8150
E-mail: marlenecondon@xxxxxxx
Book web site: www.marlenecondon.com
Article web site: www.InDefenseofNature.com
-----Original Message-----
From: CABOT WILLIAMS via va-bird <va-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: Walter Hadlock via va-bird <va-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>; Walter Hadlock <
jaybirdncarol@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Fri, Jan 5, 2018 3:41 pm
Subject: Re: [Va-bird] Bird feeding question YBSS
This is the second winter we have had a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker using a
very large Loblolly Pine tree. It just started this winter about a week
ago. It calls frequently as it works the tree. Last winter it drilled holes
from about 15 feet high to about 40 feet. Smaller birds came to them also .
This year it is drilling down to about 2 feet above the ground. The
placement of holes is completely random. Later in the winter when they go
to the non-native hollies, they use a waffle-shaped group of 1/2 inch
squares. On the crab-apple tree they make circles of holes (many of them).
My opinion is they don't need us to feed them. Hayes Williams in the middle
of Gloucester County > > On January 4, 2018 at 4:25 PM Walter Hadlock via
va-bird <va-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: > > Good afternoon, > > We are
able to provide food for all the birds frequenting our yard except for a
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. We have a Suet “Sandwich” that other species of
woodpeckers can manage, but not the Sapsucker. > > Any suggestions on what
we can do to help it? It does spend time poking around in the bark on our
Silver Maple. But, it seems o.k., but with the drastic wind chill here in
Herndon, we’re not sure it will make it. > > It cannot manage the suet in a
cup that is in a cage frequented by the Bluebirds. > > Thanks for any
suggestions, > > Jay and Carol Hadlock > Herndon, VA > *** You are
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