The Backlands Coalition

By Joshua Barss Donham, in Chebucto News October 2025, page 5.

From the article:
Description: This handsome wood- pecker gets its name from the hairy looking white feathers in the middle of its back. The “Hairy” has stiff black tail feathers with which it braces itself against the tree as it moves up trunks and branches in search of food. In flight, its tail flashes white feathers, which are otherwise hidden, and its heavily checkered wings are conspicuous.

Habitat: Hairy Woodpeckers are found in mature forests during the nesting season as they need medium to large trees in which to nest. They excavate nest holes in dead standing trees, or dead sections of a living tree, and rarely use the same nest cavity year to year. Their abandoned nests provide homes for other cavi- ties-nesting species: White-breasted Nuthatches, Winter Wrens, and Black-capped Chickadees, which all nest in the Backlands.

This year, pairs of Hairy Wood- peckers were seen nesting in the Shaw Wilderness Park and, for the second year in a row, west of Colpitt Lake… Read More in the Chebucto News