A Woodpecker That Migrates

November 10, 2025

A Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius), here for the winter. While here in Virginia they drill sapwells into trees to drink the sap. The sap attracts ants, spiders, and moths which are also part of their diet, along with berries from the likes of Poison Ivy, Black Gum, Virginia Creeper, Hackberry, Eastern Red Cedar, and Flowering Dogwood.

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Published by

Brenda Clements Jones

Brenda is a certified Virginia Master Naturalist, a Habitat Defender for Shenandoah National Park, and a devoted fan of Mother Nature. She lives in a cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Shenandoah National Park, and hikes up to the higher elevations of her mountain often to see what nature is up to. Her constant hiking companion is a camera that captures nature as it unfolds through the seasons. It’s her goal to share the natural world around her through her photographs.