A Pileated foraging on a dying ash tree
Central Minnesota is in the midst of an explosion of the invasive Emerald Ash Borer destroying a countless number of ash trees this past summer. The infestation is spreading widely now and killing ash trees in a very quick manner. Homeowners and municipalities can not keep up with all the dead trees and will be culling them for years to come. Removing this many diseased ash trees is causing a wood waste crisis in the area with no real solution of how to dispose of so many mature trees at once. This is reminiscent of the Dutch Elm Disease disaster that ravaged elm trees in the 1970’s.
With their large size and beak strength, Pileated Woodpeckers can make some noticeable damage to a tree they pick to hunt for insects. It is reassuring that, for the most part, they choose trees that are dying, dead or have large areas of rot. A Pileated is unlikely to chisel away on a healthy tree. They mostly forage for carpenter ants which nest in soft wood or decaying wood. It is very common to see Pileateds foraging for food on downed trees in the woods which is one good reason to fight the urge to “clean up” the forest floor.
Here is a video of the Pileated working the dying ash tree:
Today marks the second anniversary of BirdingZen. I thank all of you for following along on this journey and to Substack for making it fun (and easy) to publish. It also feels very worthwhile to be a part of an internet community where my posts do not have to depend on an algorithm to be noticed and read. It is much more satisfying and special this way.
And in finishing up, to my surprise I realize that today’s Pileated post is in keeping with all my other past December 6th posts!
