[Birdtalk] Nesting Lewis's Woodpeckers in Liberty

[Kristin Purdy]

It's taken three visits and much gnashing of teeth, a few mosquito bites and
liberally calling this species bad names, but I finally scratched an itch
today and located nesting locations of several LEWIS'S WOODPECKERS in
Liberty, Weber County. The area is the same as where they consistently
winter, but I've never known them to nest here. I've seen one bird or a pair
around a particular cottonwood near the road to the Swanson Environmental
Center at the end of East Shaw Drive. The others are across a meadow from
that spot and are more easily seen from 2250E. in Liberty. This spot is
about a half-mile south of the entrance to Weber County's North Fork Park
and the road is a residential neighborhood bordering pastureland.

The birds at 2250E. are the best bet to observe and I saw at least three
there, including one that landed on the pavement several times and was
gleaning bugs and worms. The woodpecker took these items to a dead
cottonwood in a row of cottonwoods in a field south of the road by 75-100
yards. I watched the bird both wrangle one of the worms and enter a cavity
several times. All three are active in this area and were relatively easy to
observe in flight (oh--and on the pavement 25 feet away). I observed these
birds from N 41°21.922' W111°53.606' (NAD 83).

The bird(s) along the road to the environmental center are not easy to
observe because the suspected nest tree is across a barbed wire fence and
rushing stream and the cavity faces away from the road. However, the area is
MacGillivray's Warbler heaven and a stroll up the road will give the
listener a chance to study many singing males. I observed from N41°21.734'
W111°53.942' (NAD 83) and saw a bird in the area or approach and leave the
tree on all three visits.

Here's how to find each spot:

2250E., Liberty:
>From the intersection of SR-39 and SR-158 at Pineview Dam, drive north on
SR-158 just over 4 miles to the stop sign in Eden. Turn left (west) and
drive 3 miles to the stop sign in Liberty. Turn left (west) on 4100N. and
drive .3 miles. Turn right (north) at 3300E. and drive 1.4 miles. The road
will become 3100E as you proceed north. Just after crossing the North Fork
of the Ogden River, turn left (west) on North Fork Drive. Drive 1.1 miles on
North Fork Drive and turn left (west) onto 5950N. where you'll see a sign
for Ben Lomond Trailhead and North Fork Park. Drive .4 miles on
5950N. and turn left (west) at a squirrely street sign that says 5850N. TO
2250E. Drive .1 miles and park near the 90° turn. Scan the field to the
south and west for the woodpeckers. Look for a piece of glo pink flagging
tape with black polka dots on the fenceline; that's my tape (new tape scheme
;^D) and the nest cavity is in the line of cottonwoods in the field south of
that spot. You'll need to see a bird fly to it to find it.

Swanson Environmental Center: Same directions as above, but drive north on
3300E. 1.3 miles and turn left (west) just before the North Fork of the
Ogden River onto East Shaw Drive. The pavement ends; continue until you
reach a wrought iron archway over the road that says Swanson Environmental
Center. Park there. Even though it says keep out, the staff told me they
have no problem with birders walking the roads and trails (the center is a
property of the Weber County School District). Walk .1 miles up the road
from the arch and watch for glo pink tape with black polka dots on the fence
on the right. The cottonwoods where I've seen this bird(s) is across the
fence and stream from this spot. Just remember, though, the opportunity to
see this bird or birds isn't as good as the ones across the meadow.

I'm interested to know if anyone tries to follow the directions above and
ends up in Idaho.

Kris