Mother Woodpecker Removes Body of Chick from Nest Box

Mother Woodpecker removes youngest chick that passed away yesterday morning thank goodness. If you've ever wondered about this subject this clip shows how it works - the chick must be removed or it will attract flies with maggots and possibly snakes and other predators. Three left look pretty vital this morning. I am so glad she removed it as blow flies and such were already investigating the smell. It was indeed surprisingly difficult for her to lift the chick out of the deep nest box but she made it. If you look closely all three remaining chicks were huddled around a hole in the nest box for a camera like they were trying to take in fresh air. It has been inhumanely humid and wet in the Backyard these past few days and I'm not sure woodpeckers even have a sense of smell, but the air at the bottom of the nest box is no doubt going bad do to decomposition so they may just naturally seek out fresh air. It will be quite awhile before they are big enough to climb up to the nest box entrance high above. Live Feed Continues at: https://www.youtube.com/MyBackyardBirding/live

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