There was a family of Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers in the yard yesterday! Three of them to be exact. Sapsuckers drill holes in trees and lick the sap that flows out, as well as eating the cambium of the tree. Other bird species make use of the sapsuckers’ handiwork, making them a “keystone” species. Some eat the insects that are drawn to the flowing sap. BTS and I had just spotted a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker for the first time the other day while birding in the park nearby, so it was exciting to find them in the yard a week later.