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Powerful beaks
Around here, we have a lot of red-shafted flickers, sometimes called Northern flickers.
They’re lovely and showy birds, but man can they do a lot of damage in a hurry. With their powerful beaks, they can rip things to shreds. We still have holes in the side of our house from a few years ago where one decided to peck it apart to try and find bugs underneath. We have a tolerance for them as long as they leave our structures alone.
A couple weeks ago, we noticed some activity on our front porch, where have an enormous bald-faced hornet’s nest still attached. This nest dates from 2012, and it’s just been sitting there empty since then.
Finally it attracted the attention of a red-shafted flicker. Over a period of a few days, it systematically ripped the nest apart, searching (presumably) for any leftover larvae. (The photos were taken through the window, hence the reflections.)
In no time at all, the interior of the nest was exposed as the flicker probed for goodies.
The amazing symmetry of wasp and bee construction never fails to amaze me.
I’d been meaning to take down the old nest anyway, and dissect it, but I guess this flicker beat me to it. At least he was able to make a meal out of it. Me, I’d have just thrown it away.
Source: http://www.rural-revolution.com/2016/02/powerful-beaks.html
