Tom, this is, if I am correct, the 6th Lewis WP found in Minnesota, with the first being in 1974. The last two were found in 2013/2014 and 2017. Having just traveled through California, where it is found, I am not at all surprised that a western woodpecker has shown up in Minnesota. The Sierra Nevada mountains and other areas out west where this bird is found have been decimated by drought and an associated infestation of the western pine bark beetle that has weakened vitality of conifers. Hundreds of millions of mature pine trees stand brown, dead, in forests through the west. Many of these trees have burned and are now black and dead. Many blame the severe drought over the last five years on the change in climate out west. It is no surprise that that this woodpecker, which is prone to wander anyway, has been found here.
Steve Weston On Quigley Lake in Eagan, MN swest...@comcast.net On Thu, Oct 4, 2018 at 11:32 PM Thomas George <tomgee...@gmail.com> wrote: > Kim > > Can you tell me (us) why a Lewis’s Woodpecker would be spotted in our area > when it is so out of its range?? > > Is it just accidental, or a storm that moved it East, a rarity or > something caused by climate change? > > I looked it up on Ibird pro and it really is a beauty, unlike the typical > red and black of Minnesota Woodpeckers > > Sent from my iPhone > > > On Oct 3, 2018, at 3:49 PM, Kim R Eckert <ecker...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > > It looks like my earlier message did not go through. Here are the > details… > > > > Nancy Henke texted me earlier this afternoon that a Lewis’s Woodpecker > was seen today at a friend’s feeder near Tamarac NWR in Becker Co. Its ID > has been confirmed by photos. The address is 21958 West Height of Land > Drive, and Nancy reports that the homeowner said it’s OK to look for the > bird with these conditions: > > > > - Park along the road near their driveway, making sure you do not block > their driveway or any others. Do not drive into their driveway or park > there. > > > > - Birders need to stay along the road and watch for the bird from there; > do not walk into the yard. (They have dogs described as “very anxious”.) > > > > If you have any questions, contact Nancy at <wchen...@gmail.com <mailto: > wchen...@gmail.com>>. > > > > > > Kim Eckert, Duluth > > > > > > > > ---- > > Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net > > Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html > > ---- > Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net > Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html > ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
