Baby Birds Recovered From Dying Tree

MCHENRY COUNTY, IL — A Lake in the Hills homeowner came across six baby woodpeckers after a tree was cut down on their property in recent weeks. The birds, known as northern flickers and less than a week old, excavate their nesting cavity in dead or dying trees, and were brought to the McHenry County Conservation District's Wildlife Resource Center to be cared for following the discovery, McHenry County Conservation District Wildlife Resource Manager Sara Denham told Patch in an e-mail response.

The birds were fed a specialized diet and were kept in a nest box that was similar to their original nesting cavity. Once they left the nest box, they lived in an outside enclosure where they could strengthen their flying muscles and learn to forage for themselves, Denham said.

At the end of July, staff at the resource center determined the birds were independent enough to be on their own.

"Once they had proved themselves capable of securing their own food, they were released," Denham said. Staff at the resource center has cared for northern flickers in the past and is involved in the captive rearing of select wildlife species, including Blanding's turtles.

In addition, the resource center staff participates in environmental education and wildlife rehabilitation with an emphasis on species of conservation concern.