Woodpeckers

[Johnna Hyde]

There are two male pileateds at my feeders near Pillow Rock. One is hanging upside down to get at the little suet feeder. There are also a downy and a hairy plus the usual chickadees. I’ve noticed the woodpeckers have been more active the last week of so. 

Johnnie Hyde

Ely MN

[chip hanson]

I have also noticed a burst of woodpecker activity.   I was watching a female Downy working on a suet feeder and she just froze…..completely.   I was watching with binoculars from pretty close up and she was not moving at all…not even blinking…..  for over 10 minutes.   I thought she had had a stroke or something.  Not one single twitch…..and then right back to feeding.   My wife read that that is a natural strategy that woodpeckers use apparently when they sense a predator….  I dont know what a woodpecker would be fearing at this time of year.   Hawks aren’t around…. who else?   Never seen that behavior before.  

chip

Johnnie Hyde

Ely MN

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[clever...@gmail.com]

Chip,

 

We’ve seen off and on for years - but more frequently this winter - the “frozen-bird syndrome” just as you describe. If the alarm goes out when a bird is on the feeder, it freezes in place; apparently that is a better strategy than flying for cover and risk getting picked off midair. Other birds stop coming to the feeder and also freeze in place, although ones in the canopy sometimes don’t and continue to sound the alarm. I assume those birds know they have an altitude advantage on the predator and figure they’re not likely to suffer a successful  attack from below.

 

Through many iterations of this behavior this winter, I was never able to see the culprit until just recently when I went outside and saw a northern shrike in the canopy above the feeders. In previous incidents, I’d seen birds as large as hairy woodpeckers freeze at the feeder. I’m not sure if shrikes could take them; perhaps the woodpeckers are reacting to a generic predator warning that doesn’t specify size or abilities.

 

Interestingly, the other day our very numerous blue jays erupted into a frenzy of calling and kept it up for 20 or 30 minutes, moving slowly through the woods around our house. The smaller birds simply disappeared. Finally, the pine marten that was in a video I shared a few days ago showed up, which I’m guessing caused the alarm.

 

I understand birds can give different alarm calls for ground versus avian predators. Perhaps the small birds reacted the way they did to a marten alarm because martens do spend a lot of time hunting in the canopy, so sort of a hybrid ground/aerial predator, although they are far more effective at catching birds in the canopy at night or when they’re on nests.

 

Steve Wilson

Isabella

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[chip hanson]

I marvel at how all the birds we see in the day find places to hide and sleep invisibly at night.    Ive gone out with the headlamp specifically trying to find birds sleeping in trees……not easy.        I did have a grouse strolling by my trail cam at 2:30 AM on a moonless night.  Scared off a night perch by a predator attack or just headed to the 7/11 for ice cream  ….not sure.   

chip

[Reid Carron]

Thanks for this great message chain. I learned from it.  Except for pigeons sleeping on buildings and caged birds sleeping on perches, I recall only one occasion on which I've seen a sleeping bird.  One damp mid-May morning 10 or 15 years ago I got up early to take a walk near the house to look for warblers.  I wasn't far from home when I noticed a lump at my eye level at the base of a branch on a  balsam fir. It was a male magnolia warbler--it seemed to be sound asleep.  I approached to within about four feet--it didn't move. I concluded that it had just finished a grueling night-time flight and needed some rest. 

Reid Carron

3100 Hartley Point Road

Ely, Minnesota 55731

cell 218-232-0622

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[Don Brown]

We see lots of birds roosting, is that not sleep?

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[chip hanson]

True Don.  Ducks, Geese and other flocking birds I feel like sure you will see them.  Rafts of waterbirds on the water at sunset.   Maybe flocks of Blackbirds or Starling mass roosting up for the night.   But all of the less group oriented passerines…..the warblers, the finches, the sparrows, robins, etc……how do they hide so good.   I suspect like Reid experienced…..they are out there….just crafty with their bed down site selection and then aided by camouflage.  And if they actually have their eye closed then you wouldn’t get an eyeshine with a flashlight.  

Unrelated to birds…but …I was camping with a friend in the Big Cyprus National Preserve in Florida and we were creeping around in the foot deep water at night looking for creatures….. lots of critters out and about, snakes, fish, amphibians….. it was a fantastic night adventure.    Early in our walkabout we were seeing literally millions of tiny tiny pinpoints of light reflections….. in the grass, the trees, on fence posts…literally everywhere.   We noticed right away but because there were so many and they were everywhere we thought that it must just be the right atmospheric conditions and they were tiny droplets of water that had condensed on stuff causing the beautiful effect.   The individual pinpoints of light reflections were tiny tiny…….like looking at stars in the sky.   Eventually we investigated closer a small shrub that was covered with these microscopic light reflections from our flashlight.    Finally with patience and close inspection we could see that it was actually eye shine from tiny tiny spiders..    Maybe 1/2 mm spiders with eyes that had to be just 1000’s of an inch in diameter yet still creating a strong shine….then we you looked around it was obvious…..wow there are billions of them.    It was an awe inspiring nature experience.    Minutes later we almost stepped directly on a huge Cottonmouth in the dark…..we got freaked out and ended our night explorations.   

chip

[Don Brown]

Ok,  got it. Thanks. One more question since i seem to have a free expert 🤣, do they ever sleep when incubating? I realize that’s not what we are talking about but am still curious.

[Don Brown]

Bird sleep as one might expect is complicated and fascinating as this blurb from Cornel shows. https://www.birds.cornell.edu/k12/do-birds-sleep/

It is quite different from human sleep as one might expect given they are animals of prey. The unihemispheric slow-wave sleep (USWS) phenomenon is especially interesting. Wouldn’t that be useful on those long drives across country?

We could probably have the same discussion about non- flying animals. Who has ever seen a mouse, mink or marten sleeping outside of captivity? Like birds they do not seem to sleep in open and obvious places and for the same good reasons.

And, then there are fish…………

To call all this behavior "sleep" seems to be  painting with a broad brush.

On Mar 8, 2026, at 9:03 AM, chip hanson <maxfra...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Reid Carron]

Thanks for the additional informative messages.  I need to amend my earlier post.  I had forgotten about waterfowl.  I've seen lots of waterfowl rafted up and still--sometimes with heads tucked under wings. So, were they asleep?--it's complicated, as Don points out.  In A World on the Wing, Scott Weidensaul recounts the results of research conducted by Swiss and Swedish scientists. Tiny data chips weighing less than a gram were attached to alpine swifts and common swifts.  The results showed that on West African wintering grounds, both species spent more than 200 days aloft--not landing even once--the common swifts as much as 10 months. Sleep? When? How? And consider wandering albatrosses and great frigatebirds.

Reid Carron

3100 Hartley Point Road

Ely, Minnesota 55731

cell 218-232-0622

[Carl Karasti]

Birds do sleep, but strangely, as noted in article Don Brown linked to where it mentioned "unihemispheric slow-wave sleep."

They can literally sleep with half their brain while the other half of their brain stays alert. Then they can switch roles so the other half of the brain gets to sleep while the rested half stays alert.

When you see a long line up of birds perched unmoving on a wire, it is likely that all the birds within the group are sleeping with both halves of their brains while a bird on each end is taking a turn half sleeping. The bird on each end is alert on the side away from the group while half sleeping with the side of the brain. At some point, the birds at the end will move to be within the group so they can get some more serious rest while letting other birds take their turns being watchful at the end of the lineup.  Some birds apparently can even half sleep for brief moments while in flight. Think of the ones that migrate extremely long distances over the ocean with nowhere to land for a nap – their only chance for catching their necessary sleep is to employ the half-sleep trick which some can do for several days and nights. And, just as in we humans, this involves a crossover, with the left side of the brain connected to the right eye and the right side of the brain connected to the left eye.

Birds are not alone in being able to do this. Fish, seals and dolphins have been tested and shown to do this, possibly along with others that I either haven't read about or have forgotten about. And I think some other animals have been found to be able to do this to some extent, too, but I've forgotten which ones.

When any animal truly wants/needs to sleep, they are very good at finding a spot where they can get away with being able to do this for at least a short while.  Some of them sleep in extremely short increments and are then alert for short bits of time so their sleep is constantly interrupted yet it seems to serve them well.

Being the strange person that I am, I've experimented with half-sleeping while driving when I've been tired. I will close one eye and relax myself while keeping one eye open so I can stay on the road and out of trouble. After doing that for a while, I will switch eyes. Based on having done this quite a bit over the years since I first learned about it, I'm convinced that it does help me get some rest, although certainly not of the same quality as a good nap, while still being able to drive safely. But I do not do this if there is other traffic! I only do it if I'm on the open highway and have it all to myself, at least on the stretch I'm on at the moment.  I suspect that birds and other animals are much better at doing this half-sleep than a human can be, but I have found it a useful technique when I have wanted to keep traveling rather than stopping to rest.  I have also used a wakeful breath pattern to help keep myself awake, rather than a sleeping breath pattern that people tend to fall into, but that's a whole other topic.

Carl Karasti

On Sun, Mar 8, 2026 at 9:49 AM Don Brown <gutsho...@gmail.com> wrote:

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[Jane Johnston]

This is a fascinating but very weird thread!

Jane

Sent from my iPhone

On Mar 8, 2026, at 7:26 PM, Carl Karasti <gca...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[Don Brown]

It is a little strange but highlights the differences in how species behave. Some of that has to do with the differences in their senses and perception. If you are interested in that kind of stuff,  for example, how human sight  differs from that of a bee or a mantis shrimp, here is a fascinating book that goes thru all the  senses. It’s a bit of a slog to read but well worth the effort and the world will never seem the same again. It’s akin to Alexander Horowitz's “Inside of a Dog” but much broader. Inexpensive copies are available here: https://www.abebooks.com/

And, it answers the question: how do vultures locate carrion?  The answer may surprise you.

[clever...@gmail.com]

I also found it fascinating, but not a slog. That may be because I listened to it and the author is an excellent narrator.

 

From: elyfieldn...@googlegroups.com <elyfieldn...@googlegroups.com> On Behalf Of Don Brown
Sent: Monday, March 9, 2026 12:43 PM
To: Jane Johnston <jmj...@gmail.com>
Cc: Carl Karasti <gca...@gmail.com>; chip hanson <maxfra...@gmail.com>; Reid Carron <fishrei...@gmail.com>; Johnna Hyde <Joh...@ravenwords.com>; Ely Field Naturalists <elyfieldn...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: {Ely Field Naturalists} Woodpeckers

 

It is a little strange but highlights the differences in how species behave. Some of that has to do with the differences in their senses and perception. If you are interested in that kind of stuff,  for example, how human sight  differs from that of a bee or a mantis shrimp, here is a fascinating book that goes thru all the  senses. It’s a bit of a slog to read but well worth the effort and the world will never seem the same again. It’s akin to Alexander Horowitz's “Inside of a Dog” but much broader. Inexpensive copies are available here: https://www.abebooks.com/

 

And, it answers the question: how do vultures locate carrion?  The answer may surprise you.

 

 

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[Stephanie Hibdon]

I purchased this book because of a past recommendation and I found it fascinating!

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[Dbest]

I have seen small birds "freeze up" or hold tight to the tree trunk when a shrike comes around. I've only seen that behavior once other than that...when a lynx came through.

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