Recently I had a wonderful opportunity to study and photograph a pair of Red-headed Woodpeckers nesting in an old tree and feeding their young. All of this happened because a reader of this column gave me a shout to share the exciting news of this cool woodpecker. 

The Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythocephalus) was once a very common woodpecker. In the mid 1800’s John James Audubon stated that the Red-headed Woodpecker was the most common woodpecker in North America. He called them semi-domesticated because they weren’t afraid of people. He stated that they were camp robbers and also a pest.

According to Audubon Society, Christmas Bird Count data, between the 1950’s and the year 2010 the population of Red-headed Woodpeckers dropped dramatically. Over 80 percent of the population dies out in just over 50 years. Currently we continue to lose approximately 2 percent each year. That means within a couple decades we could see this bird become extinct if the trend continues.  

The reason behind this decline is not understood. Many are quick to blame loss of habitat for their decline. While it is true that we have had a decline in mature tree habitat, no conclusive study indicates this to be the cause. I would point to the fact that the similar size, shape and habitat requirement Red-bellied Woodpecker populations are exploding across the country. If it were truly a habitat issue it should affect both species equally since they both have the same habitat requirements.

Competition with European Starlings for the nest cavity has also been implicated in the decline of the Red-heads. While no doubt competition for the nest cavity with the starling will impact the Red-heads, the population of the European Staring is also dropping across the country at the same time. Also, if the starling usurps the Red-head the woodpecker can always excavate a new cavity.

It has been proposed that Red-headed Woodpeckers are habitat specialist and require a very unique habitat called the Oak Savannah.  The argument goes that as oak savannah habitat is reduced so goes the woodpecker. I would maintain that the amount of oak savannah habitat was never very large and perhaps the reason why we find Red-heads in this habitat now is because it’s the last hold out where the woodpeckers can still live. All you need to do is ask anyone over the age of 50 who grew up on a farm if they remember Red-headed Woodpeckers and they didn’t have Oak Savannah habitat.

Over the past 30 years of studying and photographing Red-headed Woodpeckers the vast majority have not been in Oak Savannah habitat. In fact the nest I was photographing recently was in a dead birch tree in a mixed deciduous forest.

There are over 200 species of woodpecker in the world and only 4 species cache food. Caching food is a process of storing nuts such as acorns in a cavity for later consumption. This might be a clue. For example the number of nut bearing trees has declined dramatically over the past 100 years. Both the number of oak trees, hickories and beech have declined and the American Chestnut is completely gone. Whether or not this is the cause of the decline is not known.

Some interesting aspects of the Red-headed Woodpecker. In nearly all of the woodpeckers species it is easy to see the difference between the male and female. Usually the male has some kind of marking on its head. However the Red-headed Woodpecker male and female look exactly the same. Even if you have these birds in your hands and you can examine them you won’t be able to tell the difference between the male and the female. This is an interesting difference between the Red-headed Woodpeckers and the rest of the woodpeckers.

Red-headed Woodpeckers are remarkable species and I always feel honored to be able to see and film this bird. If you have a nest in your yard, no matter how common the species, give me a shout. You never know, I might come visit. Until next time…

Stan Tekiela is an author / naturalist and wildlife photographer who travels the U.S. to study and photograph wildlife. He can be followed on www.facebook.com and twitter.com. He can be contacted via his web page at www.naturesmart.com.

There are many differences between Bison and Buffalo. For one, Bison are adapted to harsh cold winters with lots of snow. Neither the Water Buffalo nor Cape Buffalo could survive these wintery conditions. Bison have huge heads with thick fur a mop top and full beards, where Buffalo are beardless and don’t have much fur.

Another defining characteristic is, Bison have a large hump at their shoulder, which Buffalo don’t. The hump is a mass of muscle that moves the gigantic head of the Bison. The muscle is used when males fight for dominance in the breeding season. Males will spar by striking their massive heads and horns together and pushing against one another. The bigger and heavier male is usually the winner.

They also use the large shoulder muscle to power the head to act like a snowplow in winter. They sweep their head back and forth moving several feet of snow to the sides to expose dried grass below. During winter all their food is covered in a thick blanket of snow and the only way they can gain access is to push the snow to the sides.

The horns are another difference between Buffalo and Bison. The horns of Buffalo are much longer (upwards of several feet) than the horns of the Bison. The Bison’s horns are shorter, point pointed and often curved upwards.

I was thinking about all of this recently while leading a photo tour to Yellowstone in winter. By far the most common animal we saw while touring the back country of Americas first National Park was the American Bison. Many herds inhabit the park and we where treated to many opportunities to capture some amazing images of this gigantic animal.

My personal favorite is when the bison get close to the hot springs or geysers and become encrusted in snow and ice. A similar condition occurs when it snows. The bison get covered with snow. They are so well insulated that the snow doesn’t melt, so if they don’t shake it off, they walk around covered in a blanket of snow.

One day, deep in the interior of the park, we came across a small herd of Bison. Several large males where with a group of females. This is fairly unusual because during the non-breeding season the males are often off by themselves or in small bachelor herds. More so, the herd seemed like they were a bit gitty or happy. The entire group looked like they had springs in their feet. They would jump and bounce around then start running.

My group of photographers got into position to capture some images while the herd of bison started moving our way. It is always amazing to watch these kinds of animals and their behaviors through a long lens because it looks like you are right in the thick of things.

Suddenly the herd looked like they started to frolic in the snow, jumping and trotting. Several of them would turn sideways while running. In all honesty it looked like they were having so much fun. Normally you see the Bison in a real-life struggle for life. Most of the time they are just plowing through the snow to get to the grass beneath.

Everyone was capturing some amazing images when the Bison got to close, and we had to retreat to the safety of our gigantic big wheel trucks. The Bison herd passed us, and we all celebrated the satisfaction of obtaining some amazing images of the American Bison in winter. Until next time…

Stan Tekiela is an author / naturalist and wildlife photographer who travels the U.S. to study and capture images of wildlife. He can be followed on www.facebook.com and twitter.com. He can be contacted via his web page at www.naturesmart.com.