Red-headed Woodpeckers aren't commonly seen in Minnesota. One place to find them is the Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve near East Bethel. A large colony of the birds can be found at the reserve, owned and managed by the University of Minnesota. This is the largest known colony of this species in the state. The birds have been studied for the past three years as part of a concerted effort to raise awareness of the need Red-headed Woodpeckers have for particular habitat. They nest in oak savannah, grassland with a handful of trees (8-10) per acre. The birds eat insects and berries in season. When acorns are plentiful, the birds will cache them, using them for food if they spend the winter here (and the birds are at Cedar Creek this winter). The open character of savannah habitat is important because these woodpeckers fly-catch. They need perches in areas allowing the vision and open flight required to capture flying insects.
Study of nests and nest-tree characteristics were made in 2008, 2009, and 2010. The numbers for each year are similar. Here is what was learned last year. Twenty-three nests were found. Fourteen of the nests were in oak trees, eight in tree species unknown, and one in an aspen. Fifteen of the trees were dead (making ID difficult), eight were living. The average nest was in a tree 45 feet tall, with a diameter at breast height of 14 inches. The average cavity was 29 feet above the ground. Thirteen of the nests were on the main tree trunk, 10 on limbs. Four of the ten limbs were broken. The nest cavities tended to face toward a main foraging area. Red-headed Woodpeckers have declined by more than 50 percent all across their Upper Midwest range since 1966, according to the National Audubon Society. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has put the species on its list of Species in Greatest Conservation Need. A Red-headed Woodpecker Recovery program has been the stimulus for the research effort to date. Members of the Audubon Chapter of Minneapolis started the program four years ago. For more information on the birds, the effort being made to help them, and how you can contribute, visit the program's web site at http://www.redheadrecovery.org/ This Red-headed Woodpecker, busy storing acorns for winter, was photographed at Cedar Creek last summer.
