Recently, I noticed a woodpecker tapping into my White Pine tree. Much to my delight, it was a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, the bird I studied for a year as my senior research project in my undergraduate program. While studying the feeding pattern of this bird species, I observed and counted thousands of holes, and saw the bird only once. During that year with my research team, we discovered that, among pine trees, sapsuckers have a significant preference for black pines and will "NEVER" eat from a White Pine so long as they have other options. And they almost always do; they feed from a variety of both gymnosperms and angiosperms. The characteristic pattern of holes made by sapsuckers can be seen in some White Pines, however, and that day I discovered them on my neighbor's side of the White Pine.
Upon my excitement at seeing 'an old friend', I immediately emailed my former professor at Valparaiso University's Biology Department, Dr. Laurie Eberhardt. She reminded me of her own research conclusions on sapsucker feeding. Sapsuckers tend to feed from trees that have overall poorer health. When a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker feeds from a White Pine, it is an indication that the tree is producing an elevated amount of amino acids - which is effectively the trees immune response to sickness. The feeding by a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker in my White Pine indicates the tree is probably sick. Removing the tree will remove a food source for this interesting migratory bird species but the tree will likely need to come down anyway as its condition worsens and potentially becomes a safety hazard.
[Image courtesy of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: All About Birds. My own images are too fuzzy.]
