2023 Columns
February 2023 - American Black-backed Woodpecker
Of the 10 species of woodpeckers found in Alberta, two species - the American Three-toed and the Black-backed - are the most elusive. Both species are found in conifer-dominated boreal and montane forests, are similar in appearance and habit, are uncommon, and are maddingly difficult to find.
I have yet to get decent Black-backed Woodpecker images, so I hope to write about this species in a future column.
Last winter, I was fortunate to encounter a male American Three-toed Woodpecker. Luckily, it spent several minutes foraging on a tree trunk at eye level, so I was able to not only get some decent photos, but I was also able to enjoy a close-up view of it at work. Such industrious birds!
Both woodpecker species can be distinguished from all other Alberta woodpeckers because they have only three toes (vs. four) and they lack any red on their bodies. Males of both species have yellow on their heads while the females are just black and white. Both sexes sport white barring on their backs and white spots on their wings. Their faces are black with white lines behind their eyes and a thin white line below their cheeks. Interestingly, both male and female juveniles have small yellow crown patches.
American Three-toed Woodpeckers forage by methodically flaking or scaling bark from the trunks of dead or dying coniferous trees. They tend to work an entire single tree before moving on. As I ramble the woods, I often find finished “masterpieces” of denuded trunks. Judging by the piles of fresh woodchips around the tree base, I often (frustratingly) stumble upon recent activity.
Given that they tend to feed on the larvae of bark and wood-boring beetles, American Three-toed Woodpeckers are most often found in recently burned areas, after bark beetle outbreaks, or in mature and old-growth forests filled with dead and dying trees. They breed the farthest north of any North American woodpecker species.
Most populations remain in the same area all year-round, but individuals may move to more open areas during the winter. They will undergo occasional irruptions.
The species is well adapted to their feeding style: their unique toe arrangement enables them to maximize blow delivery, although it restricts their climbing prowess. Their heads are also adapted, with special skeletal and muscular modifications which allow the birds to deliver maximize blow force.
Based on Christmas Bird Count data, it appears that American Three-toed Woodpeckers are undergoing a population decline. Across North America, numbers declined by 27% between 1970 and 2014. Habitat loss, fire suppression and modern forestry practices are no doubt contributing factors.
I have yet to get decent Black-backed Woodpecker images, so I hope to write about this species in a future column.
Last winter, I was fortunate to encounter a male American Three-toed Woodpecker. Luckily, it spent several minutes foraging on a tree trunk at eye level, so I was able to not only get some decent photos, but I was also able to enjoy a close-up view of it at work. Such industrious birds!
Both woodpecker species can be distinguished from all other Alberta woodpeckers because they have only three toes (vs. four) and they lack any red on their bodies. Males of both species have yellow on their heads while the females are just black and white. Both sexes sport white barring on their backs and white spots on their wings. Their faces are black with white lines behind their eyes and a thin white line below their cheeks. Interestingly, both male and female juveniles have small yellow crown patches.
American Three-toed Woodpeckers forage by methodically flaking or scaling bark from the trunks of dead or dying coniferous trees. They tend to work an entire single tree before moving on. As I ramble the woods, I often find finished “masterpieces” of denuded trunks. Judging by the piles of fresh woodchips around the tree base, I often (frustratingly) stumble upon recent activity.
Given that they tend to feed on the larvae of bark and wood-boring beetles, American Three-toed Woodpeckers are most often found in recently burned areas, after bark beetle outbreaks, or in mature and old-growth forests filled with dead and dying trees. They breed the farthest north of any North American woodpecker species.
Most populations remain in the same area all year-round, but individuals may move to more open areas during the winter. They will undergo occasional irruptions.
The species is well adapted to their feeding style: their unique toe arrangement enables them to maximize blow delivery, although it restricts their climbing prowess. Their heads are also adapted, with special skeletal and muscular modifications which allow the birds to deliver maximize blow force.
Based on Christmas Bird Count data, it appears that American Three-toed Woodpeckers are undergoing a population decline. Across North America, numbers declined by 27% between 1970 and 2014. Habitat loss, fire suppression and modern forestry practices are no doubt contributing factors.
January 2023 - Northern Hawk Owl
Over my many years of rambling the backroads, I’ve had the good fortune to encounter a few Northern Hawk Owls. These highly visible, diurnal and tame little owls are so named because they look and fly more like hawks than owls. Also, unlike other owl species, where the females are larger than the males, the size difference between the sexes is minimal.
Northern Hawk Owls breed across the northern boreal forests, from Alaska to Newfoundland and from Scandinavia to Siberia.
They are denizens of muskegs, old burns and coniferous/mixed forests, favouring areas have been recently burned. Unlike many other owl species, which return year after year to the same nesting area, Northern Hawk Owls are considered to be nomadic, dispersing widely throughout the breeding range in response to habitat conditions and prey availability.
Northern Hawk Owls typically feed on small rodents but will also take grouse and hares, and in North America their population follows both rodent and hare population cycles.
Although they overwinter throughout their breeding range, Northern Hawk Owls will sometimes “irrupt” into southern regions in the winter. Irruptions are thought to be triggered by a successful breeding season followed by severe winter conditions and decreased prey abundance. Adult female and juvenile hawk owls disperse earlier and travel farther than adult males.
Two years ago, I celebrated my 65th birthday by traveling to northern Alberta in hopes of finding one of these little owls. We lucked out. Last week, on almost the exact same day, I traveled south in hopes of seeing an individual that was reportedly hanging around an urban schoolyard. The owl cooperated!
It was a thrilling experience to be so close to this fascinating creature and to savour both its beauty and its hunting skills. While it spent most of its time perched atop lamp posts or tall spruce trees, watching and listening intently for any movement under the snowpack, on two occasions it landed close enough for me to take some almost-eye-level shots. I was fascinated to watch how it stiffened and stretched out its body just before launching down to pounce on a prey item. At the end of the day, after watching several unsuccessful hunting attempts, I was blessed with a ringside seat when it landed on a nearby branch to devour a vole.
Northern Hawk Owls breed across the northern boreal forests, from Alaska to Newfoundland and from Scandinavia to Siberia.
They are denizens of muskegs, old burns and coniferous/mixed forests, favouring areas have been recently burned. Unlike many other owl species, which return year after year to the same nesting area, Northern Hawk Owls are considered to be nomadic, dispersing widely throughout the breeding range in response to habitat conditions and prey availability.
Northern Hawk Owls typically feed on small rodents but will also take grouse and hares, and in North America their population follows both rodent and hare population cycles.
Although they overwinter throughout their breeding range, Northern Hawk Owls will sometimes “irrupt” into southern regions in the winter. Irruptions are thought to be triggered by a successful breeding season followed by severe winter conditions and decreased prey abundance. Adult female and juvenile hawk owls disperse earlier and travel farther than adult males.
Two years ago, I celebrated my 65th birthday by traveling to northern Alberta in hopes of finding one of these little owls. We lucked out. Last week, on almost the exact same day, I traveled south in hopes of seeing an individual that was reportedly hanging around an urban schoolyard. The owl cooperated!
It was a thrilling experience to be so close to this fascinating creature and to savour both its beauty and its hunting skills. While it spent most of its time perched atop lamp posts or tall spruce trees, watching and listening intently for any movement under the snowpack, on two occasions it landed close enough for me to take some almost-eye-level shots. I was fascinated to watch how it stiffened and stretched out its body just before launching down to pounce on a prey item. At the end of the day, after watching several unsuccessful hunting attempts, I was blessed with a ringside seat when it landed on a nearby branch to devour a vole.
