Thank you Steve for that very insightful explanation. Sent from my iPhone
> On Oct 5, 2018, at 2:56 AM, Steve Weston <swesto...@gmail.com> wrote: > > 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