Stevenson (1939:64) reported Red-cockaded Woodpeckers (Picoides borealis) as widely distributed in Walker and Tuscaloosa counties in west-central Alabama, including a nesting record at Jasper, Walker County. More recently, the species has been reported only in southern Tuscaloosa County on the 1967 Christmas Bird Count (Rogers 1968). Between 30 December 1977 and 6 February 1978, we spent six days searching in Tuscaloosa, Fayette, and Walker counties for evidence of Red-cockaded Woodpeckers in the area. On 30 December 1977 we drove major roads within the area between Tuscaloosa and Carbon Hill. On this initial visit we discovered a Red-cockaded Woodpecker colony at the boundary of sections 13 and 14 in Township 18 S, Range 10 W, in Tuscaloosa County, southwest of Windham Springs. The location seems to be slightly west of the site indicated in Tuscaloosa County on Map 7 of Stevenson (1939:62). A thorough search of the area revealed six cavity trees and two Red-cockaded Woodpeckers. Although there were Virginia (Pinus virginiana), loblolly (l. taeda), and longleaf (l. palustris) pines in the ara, only the loblolly pines were old enough or large enough for cavity excavation by this species and all cavity trees were loblolly pines.
Author: Jerome A. Jackson and Bette J. Schardien Jackson
Volume Number: 32 Year Published: 1985
Issue Number: 1-2
Page Number: 3
Link to article: http://birdlife.aosbirds.org/1985/Vol. 32 No 1, 2 1985_p3-5.pdf
Link to the full issue of BirdLife: http://birdlife.aosbirds.org/1985/Vol. 32 No 1, 2 1985.pdf
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