![]() Girdling (removing the cambium and disrupting the flow of nutrients, which kills the tree) of select trees, including a clump of large diameter black willow, has allowed for the desirable characteristics that red-headed woodpeckers look for in a home: large diameter trees flushed of bark, clusters of dead snags, and a high density of dead limbs, especially limbs close to the ground. Clearing of invasive brush and trees has restored the savanna structure, and provides the vistas that red-headed woodpeckers use to pick out prey items. The effect of restoration on this small savanna has had tremendous positive effects on the red-headed woodpeckers. Prior to habitat acquisition and restoration, the Lake Mills Ledge was a small island in an agriculturally dominated landscape-where European starlings were frequent, and likely attacked any red-headed woodpeckers inspecting a cavity. It's also possible that dead trees and snags were removed from this small forested stand and used for firewood, which would have effectively eliminated nesting cavity habitat for the woodpeckers. This led to canopy closure, and the restricted space didn't allow red-headed woodpeckers to catch insects or survey from perches. ![]() After pasturing ceased decades ago-and due to fire suppresion-buckthorn and honeysuckle invaded the understory, and black cherries, elms, and boxelders profused between and among the oak trees. The Lake Mills Ledge has been restored to an oak savanna with scattered, large diameter bur and white oak trees. It's impossible to pin down an exact cause of this mysterious decline, but let's use Faville Grove Sanctuary as an example of how these populations have declined (and how they can recover). However, the bird is a Wisconsin species of Special Concern, and the North American population has been cut in half over the past few decades, while the Wisconsin population has declined 60-70%. With its range of adaptations, one might expect the red-headed woodpecker to be common throughout the state. ![]() Additionally, the birds lay 4 to 7 eggs, with some laying up to ten, and red-headed woodpeckers will often raise a second brood. ![]()
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