When I was a child in Wisconsin in the 1950’s, in spring Red-headed Woodpeckers would come peck on our house and wake us up. They were very commonly seen in our yard and all around our suburb. Now, when I visit and bird the local spots, I feel very fortunate to see even one. Another factor is that Red-bellied Woodpeckers seem to be the dominant species now. I don’t know if they displace RHWP from their habitat or not. I sure hope you are seeing a positive trend!
I could be wrong, but I don't think Red-bellied Woodpeckers have displaced Red-headed Woodpeckers--I think they've simply capitalized on the opening as Red-headeds dwindled, but also spread into forest habitats where Red-headed Woodpeckers were never common.
Red-bellied Woodpeckers have the exact same issues with starlings, but are not killed by cars at nearly the same level. Both species feed on acorns, but red-bellies are generalists who nest in many areas devoid of oaks. They nested in my own boxelder tree back in 2016--no oak trees within maybe a mile.
They've noticeably spread north with the vegetation changes associated with climate change, as hardwoods start to displace conifers in many areas. I virtually never saw them in Madison at Picnic Point back in the 70s--now they're common there. But they're also up here in Duluth, where in the 80s they were a hotline bird. So you're right that as one declined, the other increased, but I don't think competition was the cause.
When we moved into our home almost 19 years ago, Red-headed woodpeckers were extremely rare. I frequently and still do have downies, red-bellied, Northern Flickers and Hairys at my feeders. The last couple of years, I have glorious Red-headed Woodpeckers AND Eastern Bluebirds. I believe our proximity to Creve Coeur Park has helped. Love your blog!
This is the first year since we've lived here - 10 years in NW Wisconsin - that we haven't had Red-headed Woodpeckers nesting in the yard or close by. I know they are not too far away because I can sometimes hear them and they still do visit our feeders from time to time, but they are not a fixture as they have been previously. I miss them, but I expect the other birds are pleased because they are very aggressive. I've seen one harass a Pileated Woodpecker into leaving the suet feeder, and they absolutely dominate the Red-bellied Woodpeckers at the feeder. Even the juveniles seem to think they are king of the hill.
They leave us in the fall, except for once when one or more of them stayed all winter. Sometimes one will show up in the middle of winter, most notably the year of the polar vortex, when the temperature reached -40C/F, one arrived at the coldest possible time. It survived, sticking around until March.
Anyway, nice article and thank you for letting me reminisce about our woodpeckers.
When I was a child in Wisconsin in the 1950’s, in spring Red-headed Woodpeckers would come peck on our house and wake us up. They were very commonly seen in our yard and all around our suburb. Now, when I visit and bird the local spots, I feel very fortunate to see even one. Another factor is that Red-bellied Woodpeckers seem to be the dominant species now. I don’t know if they displace RHWP from their habitat or not. I sure hope you are seeing a positive trend!
I could be wrong, but I don't think Red-bellied Woodpeckers have displaced Red-headed Woodpeckers--I think they've simply capitalized on the opening as Red-headeds dwindled, but also spread into forest habitats where Red-headed Woodpeckers were never common.
Red-bellied Woodpeckers have the exact same issues with starlings, but are not killed by cars at nearly the same level. Both species feed on acorns, but red-bellies are generalists who nest in many areas devoid of oaks. They nested in my own boxelder tree back in 2016--no oak trees within maybe a mile.
They've noticeably spread north with the vegetation changes associated with climate change, as hardwoods start to displace conifers in many areas. I virtually never saw them in Madison at Picnic Point back in the 70s--now they're common there. But they're also up here in Duluth, where in the 80s they were a hotline bird. So you're right that as one declined, the other increased, but I don't think competition was the cause.
When we moved into our home almost 19 years ago, Red-headed woodpeckers were extremely rare. I frequently and still do have downies, red-bellied, Northern Flickers and Hairys at my feeders. The last couple of years, I have glorious Red-headed Woodpeckers AND Eastern Bluebirds. I believe our proximity to Creve Coeur Park has helped. Love your blog!
This is the first year since we've lived here - 10 years in NW Wisconsin - that we haven't had Red-headed Woodpeckers nesting in the yard or close by. I know they are not too far away because I can sometimes hear them and they still do visit our feeders from time to time, but they are not a fixture as they have been previously. I miss them, but I expect the other birds are pleased because they are very aggressive. I've seen one harass a Pileated Woodpecker into leaving the suet feeder, and they absolutely dominate the Red-bellied Woodpeckers at the feeder. Even the juveniles seem to think they are king of the hill.
They leave us in the fall, except for once when one or more of them stayed all winter. Sometimes one will show up in the middle of winter, most notably the year of the polar vortex, when the temperature reached -40C/F, one arrived at the coldest possible time. It survived, sticking around until March.
Anyway, nice article and thank you for letting me reminisce about our woodpeckers.
Thanks, Laura.