Sapsuckers are busy little birds, and homeowners are often alarmed to notice the evidence that the little woodpeckers like their trees. This mockernut hickory in our woods is obviously a favorite, and even though the tree is of no value, we will keep it, because if a bird is pecking on this one, it is not harming one of our good ones. 
Yellow-poplar will draw about ten times the number of wounds you see here. Sapsuckers drill lines of holes which attract insects who feed on sap, then the birds eat the insects. I wonder what draws the birds. Do they drill holes in one tree and not the other because it tastes good to them; or can they recognize which trees will be the best ones to attract insects? Any ornithologists out there are welcome to comment.
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