Downy Woodpecker Using Tools?
Courtesy & © Hilary Shughart, PhotographerWhen the winter chill sets in, that’s my cue to start filling the suet feeders, plug in the heated bird bath, and keep the Black Oil Sunflower Seed in stock for the grand variety of birds which visit my home through the Winter. I feed the birds because I know that my visitors will have better success in raising their families next Spring, but also because they are such fun to watch! Just yesterday I was mesmerized by a Downy Woodpecker taking black oil sunflower seeds one by one from the hanging squirrel-proof bird feeder, flying onto the deck railing, and hopping along about six feet to place the seed in a knothole serving as a mortar to the beak pestle, thus gaining access to the tasty seed inside the hard shell. I immediately wondered if this behavior might qualify as tool use, but suspected it would not meet a strict definition. Sure enough, this clever problem-solving activity is not considered to be tool use, but it is no less fascinating!
This is a great time to discover the joy of bird watching and contributing to community science. The annual National Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count is hosted by many organizations in many locations, with a single day selected between December 14th through January 5th. The Christmas Bird Count database was established by Frank Chapman in 1900, when holiday shooting parties were replaced with counting parties as a proactive response to the noticeable decline bird numbers.
The Bridgerland Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count is always hosted on the first Saturday on or following December 14th, and we have been contributing Cache Valley, Utah data to the National Audubon database since 1956. You can watch from home if you live within the 15-mile diameter watch circle area centered at Main Street and Hyde Park Lane – that is if you live within 7.5 miles of the intersection of Hwy 91 & 3600 N, which includes all or part of Amalga, Smithfield, North Logan, Hyde Park, Logan, Logan Canyon, River Heights, Providence, Mendon, Benson, and unincorporated Cache County. Check the interactive map on our website to determine if your home is inside the watch circle. There’s limited space available with the wandering watch groups, too.
Even if you only see the occasional American Robin or Magpie, please do consider participating in a Christmas Bird Count near you. We welcome newcomers and beginners, and hope that you will enjoy contributing to the longest running community science program which provides data for scientists worldwide.
For identification assistance you can post photos on our Facebook group. Please don’t forget that Zero is a number – we want your final report even if you didn’t see a single bird outside your home. Consider hosting a cozy watch party, sharing hot chocolate with friends and neighbors while sharpening observation and identification skills, keeping hearts and minds full and growing in wonderful ways.
For more information check our website to register at no cost at BridgerlandAudubon.org – that’s Bridgerland Audubon A-U-D-U-B-O-N dot org.
I’m Hilary Shughart with the Bridgerland Audubon Society, and I am Wild About Utah!
Credits:
Images: Courtesy US Fish & Wildlife Service, Leah Schrodt and Brett Billings, Photographers
Featured Audio: Courtesy & Copyright © Kevin Colver, https://wildstore.wildsanctuary.com/collections/special-collections/kevin-colver & Friend Weller, https://www.upr.org/people/friend-weller
Text: Hilary Shughart, President, https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/
Additional Reading: Hilary Shughart and Lyle Bingham, https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/
Additional ReadingSupplemental food and water are important ways we can reduce stress for backyard birds
WildAboutUtah pieces by Hilary Shughart, https://wildaboututah.org/author/hilary-shughart/
ChristmasBirdCount.org which forwards to the following National Audubon page: https://www.audubon.org/community-science/christmas-bird-count
Christmas Bird Count on the National Audubon website: https://www.audubon.org/community-science/christmas-bird-count/join-christmas-bird-count
Regional Christmas Bird Counts found on UtahBirds.org: http://www.utahbirds.org/cbc/cbc.html
Bridgerland Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count, https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/cbc/