Value of a Dead Tree

[AvianStewardess]

I have about 12 trees that are not thriving that are in view of the PM houses; 4 are down-right dead. My partner originally wanted me to take the chainsaw to them but glad laziness got the better of me. This spring many species of birds have used those trees, including the sub-adult martins who get too shy sometimes. I think it is those dead trees that are getting me so many lookers every day...yesterday I counted 28 birds in the air/trees/TV antannae and my last "count" of "my" martins was about 15. It is neat when the patriarch comes to perch: the ones that "belong" fly over from the dead trees while the visitors stay perched...but watchful. So...if you got a dying tree, be sure to look at through the eyes of a Purple Martin before deciding to take the chainsaw to it. (I don't know if Martin colonies have a leader but I have a adult male, huge, who is always the first to come perch on top of the house and do look out while the others come and go.)

[Emil Pampell-Tx]

Martins like perching in open areas. We have power lines across the street and those sometimes have a few hundred martins on them. I like to see the parents with a few babies sitting together in a small bunch.

[KathyF]

I love dead trees. I had a great one with woodpecker holes in it and in the spring, I had a red-bellied woodpecker tediously reshaping a cavity and building a nest. For over 6 weeks she worked every day. Then, a starling pair came along and after a week of fighting and even though I was able to shoot the male, my girl disappeared.

I worked for 2 weeks trying to rid that tree of starlings, but they were persistent and since they had the tree, they didn't try my trap. I finally had no choice so I pulled down the tree. Caught 4 starlings in my trap 2 days later.

Next year, I'm putting up woodpecker boxes where I can manage them. But I do miss that dead tree.

[MandyinMO]

One year I saw starlings evict bluebirds from a hole in a dead tree close by. Luckily I had a well-protected bluebird house in my yard waiting for them and they successfully fledged 2 broods from it that year

I love woodpeckers! I even have the Pileated showing up daily. I feed them suet all year long, only problem is starlings love it too. I use an upside down suet feeder but that only slows them down a little. I despise starlings! In the fall they show up in large flocks and eat up all the berries from the cedar trees around our lake leaving little to none for the waxwings, bluebirds, mockingbirds, etc. When they show up, they take all the fun out of birdfeeding! I think every state dept of conservation should do an annual sweeping of starlings and house sparrows.

[John Miller]

You are correct that dead trees provide homes for a lot of wildlife, and perching for martins. In Forest Park, St. Louis, we have no power lines and martins perch high in trees on dead limbs. The park tries to leave a few dead trees, but many that are hazards to people and get cut. Squirrels, Great Horned Owls, wood ducks...all use. There are many old sycamores, and cotton woods. Starlings do use them too....

[terrapincove]

Hang some gourds in those dead trees.

[Matt F.]

There's an ash tree nearby that I wish was dead..........
Did I just say that out loud?

[AvianStewardess]

I wonder if starling intimidation is what happened to a woodpecker...she was having a blast chirping away while chipping out her cavity but then we went on a mini-vacation, and she was no where to be found when we got back. Haven't seen any starlings near that tree...

There's a stressed pine tree with a dying top, and it was really cool to watch a pair of osprey crash land onto the top of it in order to break off dead branches for their nest. Their work really opens up the top of the trees for perching birds.

[AvianStewardess]

BTW just like the invasive birds we hate so much, there are no rules on taking out invasive trees. Bradford pears and buckthorns come to mind as good candidates to "choke" so you can get a dead tree. I have been doing that with the pears. I know buckthorns were huge invaders in Illinois; pears appear to be an eastern part of the country problem.

[KathyF]

That's something I haven't heard of - how to "choke" a tree. Can you describe that, please?

[AvianStewardess]

You can "choke" it by taking a hack saw and cutting through about an inch around the whole tree trunk. Gotta get through the bark and that first thick layer of tree. Kills the tree but keeps it standing. You do have to monitor for suckers on the pear trees.