Woodpeckers are many people’s favorite bird, but among gardeners sometimes they receive a bad rap. Yet, woodpeckers perform many duties for the native garden including tree parasite removal, nest excavating and store caches of food other species utilize.
Though some eat more insects than others, almost all woodpeckers drill small cavities in trees to nest in. Next year, other species who require such cover but create their own hole may use these nesting sites. These species include small species of owls, other woodpeckers, bluebirds and mammals.