Post #5, Tuppence a bag

Nature Mapping Foundation - Northern Flicker

The importance of birds in the ecosystem can't be understated. They play several big roles; first of which being population control for bugs and rodents. Namely, the woodpecker, drills out bugs from the inside of a dying or dead tree's bark. There is a variety that has adapted to starting from the top of the tree -working its way down. Their beaks are actually curved upward to compensate for this reversal in direction. Another big role they play is seed dispersal; they consume a large variety of berries and nuts and this helps to increase a plant species territory. They also serve as great pollinators and recyclers.



I think the most interesting thing I learned about birds specifically was how long a woodpecker's tongue is (and that it even had/used a tongue for catching bugs), and that when the tongue retracts it splits into opposite sides of the woodpecker's cranial cavity.

Matt Orsie - Golden-crowned Kinglet

One bird that was a real treat to see and learn about was the Golden-crowned Kinglet. These are very easy to identify by sight as they have a chickadee-like body with a distinct yellow-orange patch along the top of their head. They stay in groups for survival and stick mostly to dense trees that hide their position. They are songbirds though so they can also be identified rather quickly by sound when you know what to listen for.

Special thanks to Dave!