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Index of Subjects --001a113a9cd014fbe204f1feea73 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Just a couple of general comments. We need to realize that there is insect life on virtually every tree, live or dead. Many insects pass the winter in the egg stage or pupal stage. The pupae could be in small silk-like "bags". Both of these can be remarkably small, but the second point is that Downys clearly eat very small food items. I think in many cases they are finding items that we would never see unless we had the branch or bark right in our hands and were examining it very carefully. All of these items are "live food" to a Downy. Rick Whitman On Sun, Feb 9, 2014 at 7:54 AM, <bdigout@seaside.ns.ca> wrote: > Yesterday, while walking through mixed woods , I counted four Downy > woodpeckers feeding in a small area. Although there were lots of standing > dead softwood and hardwood trees, each of these birds was on a live, > seemingly healthy white birch. Any idea what they might be after? Could > something be hatching this time of year? > Billy > > -- Rick Whitman --001a113a9cd014fbe204f1feea73 Content-Type: text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <div dir=3D"ltr">Just a couple of general comments. We need to realize that= there is insect life on virtually every tree, live or dead. Many insects p= ass the winter in the egg stage or pupal stage. The pupae could be in small= silk-like "bags". Both of these can be remarkably small, but the= second point is that Downys clearly eat very small food items. I think in = many cases they are finding items that we would never see unless we had the= branch or bark right in our hands and were examining it very carefully. Al= l of these items are "live food" to a Downy.<div> Rick Whitman</div></div><div class=3D"gmail_extra"><br><br><div class=3D"gm= ail_quote">On Sun, Feb 9, 2014 at 7:54 AM, <span dir=3D"ltr"><<a href= =3D"mailto:bdigout@seaside.ns.ca" target=3D"_blank">bdigout@seaside.ns.ca</= a>></span> wrote:<br> <blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote" style=3D"margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1p= x #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">Yesterday, while walking through mixed woods= , I counted four Downy<br> woodpeckers feeding in a small area. =A0Although there were lots of standin= g<br> dead softwood and hardwood trees, each of these birds was on a live,<br> seemingly healthy white birch. =A0Any idea what they might be after? Could<= br> something be hatching this time of year?<br> Billy<br> <br> </blockquote></div><br><br clear=3D"all"><div><br></div>-- <br>Rick Whitman= <br> </div> --001a113a9cd014fbe204f1feea73--
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