Date: Wed, 29 May 2002 12:15:28 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Walter Ellison Subject: Re: Atlas question regarding Flicker nests MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Tim Ray wrote: > Lately, it has been fairly easy to find the nests of downy, hairy, and red- > bellied woodpeckers by listening for the (loud) chattering of nestlings -- > often a nestling has its head sticking out of the nest hole. > > Can the same strategy be used for finding flicker nests? Also, can > anyone suggest other strategies for finding flicker nests? In my experience flickers are fairly noisy just prior to fledging like other woodpeckers. The problem with them is they tend to have nests in much more open settings and the sound is less easy to pick up amid other background noise than it is for forest-dwelling woodpeckers. Flicker nests tend to be more often in entirely dead trees (snags) than in stubs like other woodpeckers, and these snags are often isolated in fields, hedgerows or on the edges of small woodlots away from the road. Flickers will reuse a nest snag for many years in succession so checking "apartment house" cavity trees for a fresher hole in spring can also lead to flicker confirmations. Because flickers often get into fights with starlings over nests these battles can be a useful clue about the presence of a flicker nest. Flickers may also be caught nest building (code "B" only probable) in April and May and the site can be checked again later for confirmation. Fledgling flickers are often as noisy as nestlings and may be easier to find than the nest itself. Good Atlasing, Walter Ellison MD/DC Atlas Coordinator - MOS 23460 Clarissa Rd Chestertown, MD 21620-3645 410-778-9568 "A person who is looking for something doesn't travel very fast." - E. B. White ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================