This is Bird Note.

With steady, resounding wax of its chisel-like bill, a woodpecker excavates a nesting cavity

in a tree.

A pair of woodpeckers will use the hole for one nesting season, carving out a new one

the following spring.

But unlike most birds, whose nests are good for just one season, the woodpecker's cavity

will have a long and useful career.

Woodpeckers, master carpenters of the bird world, are called keystone species for their

crucial role in creating habitat suited to other woodland wildlife.

Abandoned woodpecker nest holes become nests or roosts for small owls, like this northern

saw-wet owl, or cavity nesting wood ducks.

Lifts, blue birds, swallows, wrens, and other birds, as well as many mammals make use

of these holes.

The snakes can become multi-level condominiums for a whole host of wildlife.

A venerable dead tree, broken off at the top and perforated with multiple cavities,

may actually be one of the most valuable trees in the forest.

It's satisfying to know that some simple choices can improve habitat for birds.

For example, if you have to cut down a tree, consider leaving part of it as a snag.

You'll be helping the woodpeckers and all the species that depend on them for homes.

For Bird Note, I'm Mary McCann.