There Must Be Sapsuckers Here

The intense scrutiny paid to my property over the weekend due to Great Backyard Bird Count paid off in more ways than collecting data! You think if you live somewhere long enough you would notice things. And at one point Saturday I found myself looking at something I hadn't seen in nine years of residence. This Sweetgum, seen from one perspective, displayed the classic signs of Yellow Bellied Sapsucker work: neat lines of holes in the bark. No other bird does this in our area. Evidently I have missed these quiet, elusive birds for Lord knows how long. And it is a given I'll be paying more attention to this particular tree, although the Sapsucker season ends fairly soon (they are only found here in the winter.) A lesson for all of us: keep our eyes open. For sometimes the birds tell us they're there in subtle ways.