Data from: Sapsucker wells as a keystone nutritional resource: evaluating methods for detection of secondary sap users

Data collected from 25 min observation surveys, camera traps and environmental DNA (eDNA) swabs to identify secondary users at sap wells created by red-naped (Sphyrapicus nuchalis) and Williamson’s (S. thyroideus) sapsuckers in three functional groups of shrubs and trees in south-central Colorado: shrub willows (Salix spp.), Rocky Mountain maple (Acer glabrum), and conifer trees (Pinaceae). Observation surveys were conducted from 3-10 m from sap-well systems for 20 min, with an additional 5 min of close-up surveys (~1 m) to observe and identify adult invertebrates. Camera trapping data were examined by a single observer who identified vertebrate and large adult invertebrate taxa consuming sap from wells. Swabs of environmental DNA were taken from sap wells and from residue along stems with sap wells. Vertebrates were targeted using the V5 region of the 12S RNA gene. Sequences were assigned to the lowest taxonomic resolution that contained only a single taxon among equally-good hits for a sequence.