THURSDAY, JUNE 5, 10:30 AM: For a week or two, the City Wildlife (CW) volunteer had been enjoying the soft churring calls of a nesting pair of Red-bellied Woodpeckers on her neighbor’s property. The nest was a hole in a dead tree snag about 45 feet above the ground and barely visible. But on this morning, the volunteer knew something was wrong: the female bird was perched outside the hole giving loud, non-stop distress calls, while the male flew around in a state of agitation. Something had to be wrong inside the nest. The mystery was solved when a black head with a yellow beak appeared in the hole: a starling had invaded the nest. More than half of Red-bellied Woodpecker’s nests are predated by starlings. The starling destroys the eggs or nestlings and then claims the cavity as its own.
11:05 AM: As the volunteer watched, the drama increased: the male woodpecker took over and entered the hole to attack the starling. A scuffle ensued and the woodpecker appeared to be the victor, but as he attempted to leave, he caught his left wing on something inside the nest while his right wing and the rest of his body hung upside down outside the hole. The volunteer watched helplessly as the bird thrashed about violently trying to free his wing. Time was of the essence because the bird could die at any moment in that position, and two crows had already attacked his head for unknown reasons.
11:40 PM: Panicked, she set to work. A tree surgeon wouldn’t be free for at least three hours, and many of her friends were gone on vacation. Fortunately a neighbor who runs a construction company was on a job nearby and was willing to take a look. Unbeknownst to the volunteer, he was a bird lover! So after he saw the thrashing bird, he said he would get a 40 foot extension ladder from another job and give it a try.
1:10 PM: The contractor arrived with the ladder and a helper, and they hoisted it up against the tree – no mean feat for just two people and 40 foot extension ladder. The brave contractor then
climbed almost to the top rung, and stabilizing himself with his right hand on a branch, reached high up and removed the bird gently with his left hand. Then still holding the bird in his left hand, he descended the ladder and delivered the bird to the volunteer, who put it gently in a crate and transported it immediately to City Wildlife.
1:30 PM: There, Dr. Sirica, City Wildlife’s veterinarian and clinical director and her staff examined the bird and found head wounds from the crow attack and severe swelling on its breast from the constant thrashing against the tree, as well as a fracture of its keel (or breast-bone), which was found in an x-ray. Fortunately, the bird’s wings were not damaged and the fracture did not involve any displaced bones, so Dr. Sirica predicted it would heal on its own within 1 or 2 weeks with proper care, including pain meds, wound treatments, and a restful environment.
FRIDAY, JUNE 13, 1:00 PM: After nine days of care at City Wildlife, the bird recovered completely and the volunteer released him back to his home territory. It “took a village,” but we hope he will find his mate and that they will try to nest again without the unwelcome visit of a starling!
