Front Range Birding & Optics

With more than 170,000 acres burned this season in Colorado, not to mention the fires currently burning in other states, it's easy to think of wildfire as only destructive. However, some species evolved to take advantage of wildfires.

The Three-toed Woodpecker is one such "burn specialist," occurring more often in forests with a mix of burnt and unburnt trees than in completely unburned forests. This is because bark beetles, which are a preferred food of the Three-toeds, are found at higher concentrations in recently-burned forests. https://link.springer.com/article/10.4996/fireecology.0402026

Other woodpeckers like the Lewis's Woodpecker are also burn specialists. Lewis's Woodpeckers are weak excavators and prefer to catch prey on the wing like a flycatcher. They may be more attracted to burned areas due to easier foraging in open areas and because of the lack of predators in those areas. https://academic.oup.com/condor/article/103/3/491/5563010

Woodpeckers don't just benefit from wildfires, they also help regenerate burned forests by creating nesting habitat for secondary cavity nesters like squirrels and bluebirds. Some, including the Red-headed Woodpecker, may even help actually replant forests by caching seeds and acorns.

COME HUNGRY FOR FOOD AND ADVENTURE!...Join us Tuesday, July 14th from 6:30 - 7:30pm at FRBO Boulder for delicious Argentina-style empanadas and an equally appetizing video presentation from Jenny Desmond, owner of Vive Mas Tours, about her upcoming October birding trip to Argentina.
RSVP: call 303.979.2475
FRBO Boulder is at 2425 Canyon BLVD, Boulder, CO.
The event is free.