March has been a weather rollercoaster so far. One day it is miserably cold, the next day sunny and high 50’s. Unfortunately, the ground below an inch or two is still rock solid which means all the heavy rains of late are simply running off and not soaking into the ground. This is bad news for replenishing our wells. On the more positive perspective, the trails are way too squishy to use, so the ankle setback isn’t haunting me as much…as it could be. Surgeon had to cancel my follow-up this week which naturally reverts “assessment” rights back to me. Yesterday: “Linda, ankle is fine, heading out for a 5 mile hike in the park, back later” – there might have been a response, but unfortunately, the door slamming behind me might have muffled it. Correct that… there WAS a response and she was waiting for me when I got back!! Time for OSD (operation squirrel distraction). “Sweetie, there is a horde of zombies coming our way, love to talk, gotta go take care of that before they get your beloved Poodles” {followed by a shuffled sprint to the safety of the den}. Note, there is a good chance this does not work out in my favor ha!
While I mentally prepare for the brain sucking invasion, thought I would bring you a sucker of a different type.
Hit the jump to read more about this mega hole drilling feathered friend.
This particular sighting was surrounded by a bit of confusion. To set the stage, Ron and I were birding a place called Sweetwater Wetlands Park located in Tucson, Arizona (link here). Linda and I had found this gem of a birding location a few days earlier thanks to a number of eBird reports that were submitted with several target birds for our January birding trip through Arizona back in 2024.
Admittedly, I was a bit skeptical of this place when we made our initial scouting trip. It is nestled in what feels like an industrial area with a number of warehouses and similar enterprises leading up to the small parking lot. At the time there was only a few cars in the lot. Light was starting to wane and we didn’t see any tell-tale signs of birding activity. Linda stayed behind with the dogs while I went for a quick look. Took time to read the initial signage which informed that this was a water reclamation site for Tucson. Hmmm, a few paths leading out, no water access that I could see from the trailhead, not entirely sure this was even open to the public, maybe those reports were from workers or those with privileged access.
Luckily an older lady came up and she gave me the lowdown on what turned out to be an absolutely incredible birding location. There are multiple ponds with boardwalks and observation structures along with well groomed trails that take you through the variety of habitats in the park. We would definitely be coming back the following day. With the extra time (and daylight) the next day, Linda and I were able to explore every inch of that park – absolutely incredible and now written in ink as a destination whenever we are in the area. Even got to photograph one of the resident Bobcats hanging out along the back edge of the park!
My brother Ron was able to fly down to meet us for some AZ birding that week, so we went back to let him experience the park…and to get caught up with me on all the birds found there (see, the Average Year is not “always” a competition hehehe link here). While there, a group of birders alerted us to a Red-Breasted Sapsucker in a nearby grove of trees. That would be a lifer for both of us so we hustled our way over. Trees were pretty thick and we, along with the rest, were struggling to get eyes on it. Eventually the Sapsucker flew to a small opening allowing for a quick burst of shots. Not entirely sure Ron even got a shot of it, but we both saw it and our birding bylaws Rule 04 Addendum 2 allows sharing of images (link here). Another group of birders came up and inquired as to our find – “Red-Breasted Sapsucker” based our earlier alert. It was now an appropriate time to “chimp” at the viewer on the back of the camera .. bad shot, bad shot, bad shot…hmmm, that’s interesting, more bad shots interspersed with the shots you are seeing in this series. With the extra scrutiny, something felt wrong. Discussed it with Ron and we came to the correct conclusion this was not a Red-Breasted, rather a Red-Naped Sapsucker. No disappointment as this was still a lifer for Ron and new annual checks for both of us (I had found one previously back in 2023 in Las Vegas).
I did feel bad I had relayed an incorrect sighting to the other birders – I hope they had one of these Red-Naped on their lifer list as they didn’t seem that interested in the Red-Breasted variety. Thinking about adding another Intrigued Golden Rule: “Trust but verify”. At least we were just wrong at a species level, as they are both in Sapsuckers family. Had I not been aware that our local Yellow-Bellied variety do not come this far west, I might have overlooked it as they look very similar.
Both are predominantly splendid in black and white, both sexes have red on their crowns and the mature males of both species sport solid red on their neck. Mature females of Yellow-Bellied do not have any red below their bills where the Red-Naped do have a small line of red feathering. The major distinction between the two species..at least with the males is conveniently pointed out in their name (hooray for ABA for this moniker). Red-Naped males and sometimes the females have a red nape – for the nonbirders out there, that is the back of the neck. Our specimen was kind enough to show us that distinction in the shot above. The other detail Cornell points out in their comparison is related to the black outline that Yellow-Bellied males have along their red throat patch. I have to question this a bit or possibly clarify it as a consistent rather thick black outline as our specimen has some black around it and that is even found in some of the reference photos on Cornell’s site.
Thanks to the brief encounter, did not get a lot of shots. Let’s get to some interesting tidbits before I let you go. First off, the Red-Naped is a western US resident and down into Baja/Central America. During smoochie season they head all the way north to Canada. They do stay away from the coastal west which is actually where the Red-Breasted Sapsuckers can be found. Oddly enough they also honor the territories to the east which is where the Yellow-Bellied spend their time. This lack of real overlap can also help in the ID Process.
Like all Sapsuckers, the Red-Naped will drill rows of holes in trees allowing them to “sip” the sap as it flows out (not suck – bad choice there ABA). At this time I cannot answer your pending question as to the damage this inflicts on the Aspen, Birch and Pines they prefer. They were broken out of the Yellow-Bellied family in 1983. Probably not surprising, but others also benefit from the sugary holes these Sapsuckers produce, so keep a keen eye out when you come upon their rows of holes as there might be some additional surprises to come.
Take care everyone, I hear Linda’s footsteps outside the door – wish me luck hehehe.
Life Intrigued 