A New Fledgling & Parting Shots
11 September - I looked for the family in the “nursery” but didn’t find them. I figured they had moved on, but thought I should check the nest territory before leaving - there they were. (There were no more weddings in their territory, so maybe they felt safe going back.) I saw the two juveniles and a parent. The juveniles seemed to be getting along (not competing for food). I did not witness any feeding by a parent, I do believe that phase is done.
I stopped by the 2nd nest on the way out and there was no sign of the nestling. He has apparently fledged. I stayed for a bit and I did hear a feeding call in the distance but did not see the family.
Observation - 50min
Partly Cloudy 75F S winds 6mph
I’m ending the nest monitoring for these 3 clutches. I saw 9 Red-headed Woodpeckers this summer at CBEC. I’m very pleased to see that many.
Ending a nesting monitoring period is always bitter sweet - I am pleased to see a successful nesting cycle, but I can’t help but feel a slight attachment to the family after so many hours of observation (33 hours).
21 September - UPDATE - I was birding at CBEC and was in a totally different area (woods behind the raptors) when I saw an adult redhead. I stayed to watch and saw two different juveniles. As you can see in the pictures, one has a little red on the head and the other does not. I suspect the one that does not is from the nest on the road, who fledged on the 11th.
Parting Shots
11 Sept 2023
Summary
Dates of observation - 1 July - 11 September
Number of clutches - 3 (1 chick each clutch)
Dates for 2nd clutch - 5 August (first noticed activity at cavity) - Fledged - 29 August (25 days) - Cared for by parents till approx. 10 September (12 days after fledging)
Total Hours of observation - approximately 33 Hours
Total number of Red-headed Woodpeckers observed - 9 (4 juveniles, 4 adults, 1 nestling)
Noted - Fledgling from 1st clutch was not allowed back in the nest territory until the next chick (sibling) fledged.
