|
On average 9 White-headed Woodpeckers (WHWO) are recorded on the combined Tehachapi/Bear Valley Springs/Cummings Valley Christmas Bird Counts. However, this figure is skewed, for on the combined ’95 CBC’s, 29 were counted, and on the ’97 count there were 30, while on the past 3 counts a total of only 5 birds have been observed!
This woodpecker species is generally restricted to mixed coniferous forests dominated by primarily pines with large cones. Thus in the Tehachapis their habitat is the Ponderosa / Jeffery Pine belt along the high ridges and peaks. However, the Gray Pine, this area’s only really big-cone pine, may also be part of the mix. Perhaps the drought, low cone production, logging and development have dispersed this quaint species.
Five of the local members of the woodpecker family belong to the Genus Picoides. With their plain white heads (the male has a red splotch between the crown and nape), black back and body, and white wing patches, WHWO’s are the easiest to ID in the field. Also, the squeaky rattle is distinguishable from the Downey, Hairy, Nuttall’s and Ladderback.
It is said that pine seed predation and relatively superficial bark foraging distinguishes this species ecologically from its similar sized relative, the Hairy Woodpecker. White-headed Woodpeckers are more likely to pry (scale) off pieces of bark rather than the vigorously pounding of the Hairy. So it is a quiet bird, and as of now, rather elusive.
The thrust here in examining WHWO’s is two fold. First, in recent years, there have been a number of reports of this species foraging in the mixed oak and Gray Pine woodlands. If there is a shortage of cones in the high country, perhaps the large cones of the Gray Pine drew the birds to the relative low lands.
Second, we received an inquiry, which came by way of Kimball Garrett, to John Wilson, to us, from a graduate student in San Diego writing his thesis, apparently, on WHWO’s. The desperate fellow had searched all the specimen collections up and down the coast and found not one WHWO “skin” or specimen collected from the Tehachapi area!
Well, specimen or no specimen, there is a population of White-headed Woodpeckers here in the Tehachapis! There are no Coulter Pines, a really big cone species, however there are Gray Pines. Although from time to time these birds may have worked these cones, there is no evidence there has been an adaptation resulting in a larger-billed sub-specie.
In summary, the White-headed Woodpecker population in the Tehachapis is down – this probably due to low cone production, logging and development. Specimens that might indicate the existence of a sub-specie displaying a larger bill are nowhere to be found in museum collections.
Good Birding.
Trackback(0)
 |
TrackBack URI for this entry
Subscribe to this comment's feed
Show/hide comment form