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toddhiestand.birds

A Journal of Birds in the Portland Metro area and the Pacific Northwest

January 2026
Red-breasted Sapsucker+1

Red-breasted Sapsucker

Sphyrapicus ruber

This dude is always pecking on the roof of my office in our back yard. I used to hate him till I got to know him.

These guys apparently drill rows of small holes called sap wells, then come back to feed on both the sap and the insects the wells attract. Hummingbirds and other birds also use the wells — sapsuckers are accidental ecosystem engineers.

Nikon Z8 · 180-600mm @ 600mm · 1/200 · f/6.3 · ISO 400

Oregon City