Worry not, birds have that nature thing all figured out

Today’s question: A woodpecker has drilled a hole about 2 or 3 inches in diameter in our saguaro. My wife has declared that the cactus has to be dead or soon will be. I said I didn’t think so. If woodpecker holes killed saguaros, we wouldn’t have any saguaros left.

Gilded flickers and Gila woodpeckers routinely drill new nesting cavities in saguaros every year. The old nests are taken over by other birds.

Sometimes the birds can drill deep enough to damage the cactus, but that is very rare.

What usually happens is that the cactus seals the cavity with scar tissue. When the plant dies and disintegrates, the cavity, wrapped in scar tissue, remains. It’s called a saguaro boot, and some people collect them. Native Americans used to use them as water bottles.

I have flowers in my yard that attract hummingbirds. Each morning, they stick their little beaks in the same flowers they were in the day before. Are they able to feed day after day on the same flowers?

Different flowers replenish their nectar at different rates. Some in a few minutes and some over hours.

Hummingbirds that are territorial know the flowers in their bailiwick and know which ones take how long to replenish their nectar.

Scientists have found the birds can remember when they last visited and emptied specific flowers. This means they don’t have to waste energy on flowers that may be between nectar refills. That’s cool.