![]() ![]() Origin of NamesĬommon Names: Downy from their plumage, suggesting they do not look mature. Seeing the woodpecker or hearing its call is a much safer way to identify it. The sound of the drumming also will depend on the type of wood or other material on which the woodpecker is drumming. The sound of the drumming of a particular woodpecker might depend on whether it is trying to attract a mate, look for food, or excavate a nest hole. While each woodpecker species has something distinctive about the way it drums, not all woodpeckers drum the same way all the time. Trying to identify woodpeckers by their drumming can be difficult. Hear the vocalizations and sounds of the Hairy Woodpecker. Hear the vocalizations and sounds of the Downy Woodpecker. A call note of the Downy is a loud peek, while the corresponding note of the Hairy is a lower-pitched pick. The call of the Downy is a high-pitched descending whinny, while the Hairy's corresponding call is a dry rattle. The heads of juvenile Hairy Woodpeckers are similar to the heads of juvenile Downy Woodpeckers, with the juvenile male Hairy having varying amounts of red on his crown and the juvenile female Hairy having little or no red. The juvenile female Downy has little or no red on the top of her head. The number and position of the red tips can vary. The feathers on the front of the head of a juvenile male Downy have red tips, so he appears to have a red crown rather than a red spot on the back of his head like an adult male. Juvenile Downy Woodpeckers have slightly duller plumage than adults. The Beaver Family makes their appearance just about then but none have ventured to the side of the pond where I am stationed since that one evening when a solitary beaver swam within arm’s reach. But I am patient.Adult Female Downy (right) Feeding Juvenile Male Downy (left) - Photo by Ashley Bradford There are a few moments after sunset when the light is still bright enough to photograph and to film. Perhaps they are tending other tasks in preparation of winter, collecting and caching food in their newly excavated holes. A few woodpeckers have been sighted, their calls noted, and only an occasional distant drumming heard. ![]() I’ve returned to Beaver Pond several time since the day the bonanza of woodpeckers was photographed but haven’t been treated to the rhythm band since. Winter roosts created by woodpeckers may later provide shelter or nest sites for many other species of animals including owls, flying squirrels, bluebirds, nuthatches, and chickadees. The outer edge of their tail feathers are white, barred with black, lending a spotted appearance. The outer edge of the tail feathers of Hairy Woodpeckers is pure white (see top photo above to compare). Downies are smaller and their bills are more delicate in appearance. Hairy Woodpeckers are about the size of an American Robin. Woodpeckers use their tongues to spear and extract wood-boring insects, as a sticky trap for catching ants, and as a brush for licking up sap.ĭowny and Hairy Woodpeckers look similar. The woodpecker’s tongue is quite extraordinary, being long and extendable, and also coated with bristly hairs. During the winter their diet is comprised of seeds, nuts, fruits, and berries. Woodpeckers mostly eat insects, in all stages, from egg to larvae to pupae to adult. During the fall, a woodpecker will spend about a week excavating winter roosting holes. Woodpeckers excavate dead and dying trees and limbs not only to create nest cavities and to forage for insect prey, but to also enlarge cavities used for winter shelter. ![]() It is no mystery as to why the pond shore is a sanctuary for woodpeckers, surrounded as it is with trees in a wonder of varying stages of decay. Not one, not two, but three different species of woodpeckers were drumming the forest canopy! I must have arrived on the ideal day, for there were seemingly dozens of woodpecker excavations taking place. Rat-a-tat-tat, rat-a-tat-tat resonating through the tree tops. The little wild wood encircling Beaver Pond was alive with a veritable rhythm band. ![]()
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