Despite the prolific number of holes girdling the tree, it shows no signs of distress. There are other White Birch trees nearby that are more than 15 years old with similar amounts of holes and they appear perfectly healthy. So this amount of hole-drilling does not necessarily mean the tree will die.
The main reason the Sapsucker drills the holes is to feed on the resulting sap that flows from the fresh holes. That it can feed on some insects that also feed on the sap is a bonus. Bees and hummingbirds also feed on the sap. This Sapsucker had a bee buzzing around that it would have eaten if it had nabbed it with its beak.
Nice selection of one of my favorite birds....too bad the tree will die, not from the bird but of a fungus (all ours in Central Oregon are showing distress).
Gorgeous portraits! Those are some of the most vigorous (by your account), perforated trees I've ever seen! However, included in your pictures, they really add value and context to those beautiful sapsucker pictures.
Cool images, Tony. These may be your favorite trees, too. They would be mine. I watched a hummer wait at a nest, then follow a Sapsucker to its sap well tree.
Rex
Great shots, Tony! I've always thought that it was the other way around - that the sapsuckers waited for the insects to be attracted to the sap, and the sap itself was a sweet bonus. Oh well, doesn't matter one way or another, i suppose!
Great images of a beautiful sapsucker. Interesting the different stratagiies different species use. The Yellow-bellied girdles the tree in a single continuous belt line.
well done Tony.