[obol] Black-backed Woodpecker nest at Mount Hood Meadows

[Wayne Weber]

Oregon Birders,

Sorry to be a bit slow in reporting, but on June 30-- on my way home from a
week of birding in Oregon--  I found an active BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER nest
on the access road to the Mount Hood Meadows ski resort in Hood River
County.

The nest was located on the right-hand side of the access road, about 0.8
miles up from the turnoff from State Route 35 at Bennett Pass. It was about
15 feet up in a dead conifer (mountain hemlock??)-- one of 3 adjacent dead
conifers next to the road, and the nest hole was facing the road. I found
the nest because the young woodpeckers were making quite a racket. After
about 15 minutes of waiting, a female BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER appeared
briefly and fed the young.

Perhaps this isn't such a big deal, but the Summers & Miller publication on
Oregon County checklists (1993) rates Black-backed as a "3" in Hood River
County, which I translate as rare but regular (annual).

What was interesting about this nest is that, unlike most Black-backed nests
I've seen in Oregon, it was NOT in an area of burned forest (God knows,
there's enough of those around!)-- even though it's only a few miles from
Bluegrass Ridge, which DID have a major fire last summer.

I suspect that the young woodpeckers haven't fledged yet and won't for a few
days, so if anyone wants to look for this nest, it may be worthwhile.

I managed to add 11 species to my all-time list for Hood River County on the
morning of June 30-- including the woodpecker-- but I'm still stuck at 95,
so will have to make another visit to break the magical threshold of 100!

Good luck and good birding,

Wayne C. Weber
Delta, BC
contopus at telus.net