Ladderbacks and Walnuts

February 08, 2017
Ladderbacks and Walnuts
Growing Native with Petey Mesquitey
Ladderbacks and Walnuts

Feb 08 2017 |

/

Show Notes

IMG_3327

I love the two large walnut trees found along our drive and how they always seem to sport a bird or two perching near the top. Most commonly seen, of course, are red-tailed hawks, but some evenings or early mornings I’ll see great horned owls perched near the top. The view of the surrounding land must be fantastic and a great spot to see any movement of edible creatures like kangaroo rats or cottontails. We hang out around those trees too. It’s a favorite spot for our dogs to mark and a few years ago we hung a swing from one of the trees making it a destination that we all enjoy.

Ladder-backed woodpeckers (Picoides scalaris) are common year round in the borderlands. There are a bunch of woodpecker species to be found around us. The book Finding Birds in Southeast Arizona (now in a revised eighth edition) lists fifteen species, three of which would be unusual sightings. Glassing and identifying a dozen species sounds like a good quest to me.

A couple notes: The photos are mine. If you look closely at that magnificent walnut tree you can see the white ropes that hang a swing. The woodpecker photos show a male ladder-backed pecking at a pecan and a female on the trunk of the pecan tree.

IMG_0443 IMG_3291

Other Episodes

Episode 0

January 25, 2022 00:04:59
Episode Cover

Rainbows and Potatoes

One of the most magical moments of my childhood was when I first dug up potatoes in a garden and we later had some...

Listen

Episode 0

January 31, 2021 00:04:52
Episode Cover

Bearing Witness

The photos are mine.  

Listen

Episode 0

June 05, 2022 00:05:08
Episode Cover

Butterfly, Grasshopper, Beetle

Every time I pull a reference book or field guide off the shelf to read about a recently seen insect I seem to run...

Listen