A couple of weeks ago I described the devastation being caused by the Mountain Pine Beetle. Happily, there is one bright spot in the middle of the dead trees. Stands of beetle-killed pines create an ideal habitat for the American Three-toed Woodpecker.

This species isn’t rare, but it lives in the boreal forest, out of reach of most birders. This far south it is only found at higher altitudes, and prefers to nest in areas of old-growth spruce, larch, fir and pine.

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