not really a bird dude...

anyone know? its destroying my neighbors Birch tree... and yes, theres bugs..

i didnt take it dipsh!t, my girlfriend did...

Its a red pecker....


Fishy

Pileated Woodpecker

here is the damage the little bastard is causing... this is about 4 feet from the deck, right under the knuckle where the tree starts branching out... there is more up in the branches of the tree, but its not nearly as bad.. it is all the way around the tree..

SD, i thought the Pileated one was the really big one with the red mowhawk lookin thing on its head? are males and females different looking?

Yup.

SD, thanks, you helped me identify the nearly 2 feet tall ones blasting away on the Doug Firs..

Hank, looks like your right, i dont think the Red-naped Sapsucker is up in my region, thank you...

heres some pics of a bird out at our cabin on the beach... know what it is? (i do already )
Hank, you probably see these far more than we do, as they fly south..

not my tree, and she is rather sentimental about it.. she wants me to prune it for her as the never has, and that ice storm bent the branches over extremely bad... i told her it may die, and she wanted nothing of that...

the bark at that point, is rather thick, i can see the clean meat of the tree in some holes, but its hard to capture it with a camera without shining light into there... its almost a burl at that point...

id like to cut it down, but shes not set on it yet... it it snaps, it will destroy the fence and damage and corner of our house, because its also leaning due to the branches hanging over...

the problem i have with this situation, she will not pay me...so i have to prune, and haul away the debris to keep from our stuff from getting smashed...

not too enthused about that..

and it still could snap at the knuckle and do whatever as well...

Abu, the fag sh!t is really getting annoying...

Sapsuckers drill a myriad of holes in trees. Generally shallow, and they cause the sap to run. Hence, the name. The sap also attracts bugs; which the sapsuckers and other birds also consume.

Not too sure if the sapsucker activity is all that damaging to the tree. We have a number of trees at our place that are rather riddled, and still seem to grow well.

The deeper holes that cause access to the heartwood are another story entirely. These can be caused by broken limbs and the like.

Like previously stated, that bird isn't the tree's real problem. I have cherry trees, apple trees, and a couple of other varieties around that are pecker-holed all over.......and the trees do just fine. And the sap suckers are fun to watch. I'd just replace the tree if it could cause problems.

That's a Sapsucker, and a Turkey Vulture...the vultures have been up in BC forever, and when I was in college we started seeing a few around Bellingham, then on the upper Skagit...there's a lot of them all around here now, but nothing like central/southern California.

Fish on...

Todd

Hank gets the prize, it's a red breasted sapsucker. Wonder what radical conservative's blog he learned that from . . .

Redhook,

The woodpecker isn't the tree's enemy. The insect infestation could be, and as others posts pointed out, that tree might already be a goner.

would that create jobs?

Yep, sapsucker just trying to make a living.

the tree looks to be OK, from what i read about the bird, they drill holes into the trees so the sap comes out, which then allows some bugs in, and they eat them too... what may kill it, is me pruning it, as i have to cut more than 1/3 of the top of the tree, as she hasnt pruned it in probably 15 years... if at all... Birch trees have a high sugar sap that the birds like, same thing (in a sense) with humans and Alder smoke, Alder is part of the Birch family...

it is rather entertaining watching him tho.. the little bastard is FAST...hopefully he doesnt start drilling on my Apple tree..

from what i have read about the bird, sometimes Hummingbirds come and suck the sap out of the holes as well, havent seen any of them yet...

i learned enough in Horticulture that im confident i could keep this tree alive, ive done some pretty cool things the last couple years with neighbors trees that were near dead, one of which was a Dogwood tree that my neighbor planted before she died of cancer 2 years ago... her brother wanted to keep it, and the dumb a$$ kids he hired to do his lawn once screwed up and weed ate the crap out of the base of the tree and ripped the bark off to the meat...my concoction of organic fertilizers and care, the tree has now fully recovered, and is even flowering with nice pink flowers that are rather large.... i also saved one of the Azalea's she planted, and now has to be really taken care of as there is so many flowers on it that if not kept clean, it will cause mold and a miriad of other diseases...

so im kinda at an impass at what i should do here... like i said, she wont pay me, the tree looks extremely overgrown, and like crap, but its very healthy by looking at the foliage... i dont like killing trees if i dont have to, but its probably a 3+ hour prune job... and the corner of my house is right near it, so if it falls, there is 2 windows and a gutter in its path...

i may just show her BF what to do, and let him kill it lol...

who takes GED classes?

i got my degree through Renton Tech...





oh yeah, shut up...

I get it now.
Sapsucker love triangle.

my Horticulture degree, not GED moron...

go fish in your girlfriends fish tank and leave me alone, jesus...

This sh!t is just too good to be true?!?!