Yellow Bellied Sapsucker

Yellow Bellied Sapsucker (SPHYRAPICUS VARIUS) 1950 edition Audubon print, with commentary on the reverse by Roger Tory Peterson. Printed in the USA, slightly larger than 9"x11". Rescued from a church bazaar, the pages have a slight yellow patina to them, to be expected after 60 years.

According to Peterson: “It has the habit of drilling rows of holes, as evenly spaced up and down “as corn on the cob,” and from these pits it gathers the tree’s oozing life blood, sapping it up with its brushlike tongue. Downy woodpeckers, squirrels, hummingbirds and butterflies patronize the sapsucker’s wildwood bar, and sip the stolen brew when the bartender is away.”