Knock On Wood

Recently woodpeckers have made national headlines in the United States. The ivory-billed woodpecker was considered extinct for over 40 years by most bird experts, but was recently discovered in an Arkansas swamp. Arkansas is a long ways away from Knox County, but we have our own state endangered woodpecker, the yellow-bellied sapsucker, calling Wolf Run Regional Park home.

On a recent hike at Wolf Run, telltale signs of sapsucker activity were discovered on the Woodland trail. Yellow-bellied sapsuckers exhibit a unique behavior when drilling holes in trees. They drill orderly rows of very small (smaller than a dime) holes in trees, returning later to dine on the bleeding sap and small insects attracted to the sap. Sapsuckers are attracted to wooded streams and wetlands, which Wolf Run Regional Park provides.

It is comforting to know that places such as Wolf Run Regional Park exist, providing a haven for rare birds and people alike.

Read more about the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Hear the sound of a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker