A sapsuckers work is never done

My co-workers at the Raptor Center discovered that there are red-breasted sapsuckers nesting in dead stump next to the deck. There are a bunch of good trees for feeding on sap all around the nest tree. I took the camera to work to get some photos of the birds. I actually think that the female is sitting on the eggs right now and the male is the only bird that we are seeing. The photo to the right shows the male on one of the trees that they have been feeding on. All of the small holes on the trunk of the tree are where the birds have been feeding.

I hope that the birds do okay once the cruise ship passengers start their tours to the Center. The first one is tomorrow, but after that we will have many people passing by the nest tree daily. Hopefully it won't bother them. If it does I see two outcomes, either the nest fails and the birds move to a new tree, or the male starts attacking people! I hope that neither scenario happens.

I will take more photos as the summer goes along. Hopefully there will be photos of young sapsuckers to follow! Wish them luck!