Sap-sucking Birds
This weekend I was out in the garden and activity on a tree opposite my house caught my attention. On closer examination, I could see what looked like sap running down the trunk. There were a some small holes in the trunk and the sap was seeping from there.
The blue tits and coal tits were landing on the trunk and drinking the sap from these holes. I was fascinated… what had made the holes in the first place and was this a common occurrence?
I took my adapted Bushnell trophy cam and I attached it to the tree below the holes, using a Gorillapod. I faced the Bushnell straight back up the trunk, hoping the birds would return and drink, once again, so I could capture this interesting behaviour…..
Please let me know if you, too, have seen behaviour like this in the UK. The only information I could find on the Internet was with birds in the USA.
Hi Kate,
I’ve seen sapsuckers in the US, but of course they aren’t sucking sap – just going for insects and grubs. They are woodpeckers and make neat round holes which look as though they were made with a drill. This is totally weird. It almost looks as though something tried to gouge chunks of wood from the tree. What diameter are the holes? How high are they? Have any more appeared?
What kind of tree is it? It’s interesting that the sap is rising so vigorously already.
I’ve sent the link on to my husband who knows lots more than I do. If he can’t figure it out he’ll send it out on his various lists.
I suspect the tits are just being opportunistic and taking advantage of the running sap. The big question is who made the holes?
Sorry about all the questions, but I caught your tweet and now I’m so fascinated that I want to know all the answers!
Cheers …… Joan
The holes are only small… between 3- 6mm and are about 6′ up the tree, but the tree is on a bank. I am not sure what the tree is…. I can’t remember, I need it to come into leaf. I think the woodpecker has made the holes and the tits are just taking advantage of the sweet sap drink!
Hi Kate,
I have seen this before and was just as amazed. A neighbour of ours had cut back an encroaching birch branch that wa shanging down over his garden. Before long there was a steady drip, drip of sap. The birds loved it! Great and Blue tits, and also a few Chaffinch. I suppose it will have a high sugar content and be really good for an energy hit!
Spuddrs
It was certainly very popular! The birds were backwards and forwards there which is what caught my attention!
lovely post Kate i have heard of it but not seen it or know why
Both Blue Tits and Coal Tits are known to eat sap, mainly in the spring. I would assume the holes were made by a woodpecker initially, another sap eater, and the Tits are taking advantage of the food source.
I’m sure everyone is right about the tits taking advantage of the running sap. My problem is with the holes. Has anyone ever seen a woodpecker make holes like that? It looks more like someone hit the trunk with a garden fork! However, it could be a woodpecker, I suppose. Here’s a good link to how woodpeckers use trees:
http://woodpeckersofeurope.info/?q=signs
Thank you, that was what I had presumed… I have just never observed this behaviour!
I don’t know if this topic is still of interest but I have some info. I have a young pear tree that has been extensively pecked like this. It started a year ago but has been very noticeable more recently. Like you I could only find references to this from N America until now when I came across this old paper by Dr JN Gibbs in 1983.
Click to access V76_N03_P109_117_A024.pdf
I had suspected that the culprit might be a great spotted woodpecker of which there are many in this area.
A couple of apple trees near the pear also have some peck holes but nothing like the number on the pear which is riddled. Gibbs does not mention fruit trees among the species observed to have been damaged.