Woody the noisy woodpecker!!

[darylp]

Hi guys

The joys of spring have started for me, with the return of my favorite neighbourhood Greater spotted woodpecker. Last year he found that the junction box on my nearest telegraph pole really helped amplify his daily 'drummings'. Im counting my blessings that he's become more civilised this year and changed from the 5:30am wake up call to a more reasonable 7:00am!!



Has anyone else encountered woodpeckers with a novel method of 'drumming'?

daryl

[werdnal]

We've got GSW's around us, and this week I have heard very loud, almost metallic type drumming, aswell as the usual "wooden" type. We have metal electricity pylons running along the other side of a small fir plantation, nearby and I think one of them might be using these!

[Deb London]

Originally Posted by darylp

Hi guys

The joys of spring have started for me, with the return of my favorite neighbourhood Greater spotted woodpecker. Last year he found that the junction box on my nearest telegraph pole really helped amplify his daily 'drummings'. Im counting my blessings that he's become more civilised this year and changed from the 5:30am wake up call to a more reasonable 7:00am!!



Has anyone else encountered woodpeckers with a novel method of 'drumming'?

daryl

LOL. Be warned though, he's not up at 5.30 am yet because it is dark. In a couple more months maybe.

[FUDGEY]

Really funny, I remember Springwatch showing footage of this last year up in Scotland some where.

[willowjay]

Our 'Woody' spent the year before last drumming on the wooden bird boxes we had put up for Blue Tits, and Great Tits. Really loud, echoing noise! - needless to say, no-one used them.

Last year we covered the boxes in plastic netting to put Woody off, and it worked (one Blue Tit family successfully reared).

This year he's just drumming on the tree, and Blue Tits are already inspecting the boxes.

[Meta menardi]

Originally Posted by darylp

Hi guys

The joys of spring have started for me, with the return of my favorite neighbourhood Greater spotted woodpecker. Last year he found that the junction box on my nearest telegraph pole really helped amplify his daily 'drummings'. Im counting my blessings that he's become more civilised this year and changed from the 5:30am wake up call to a more reasonable 7:00am!!



Has anyone else encountered woodpeckers with a novel method of 'drumming'?

daryl

I met his great grandfather about 30 years ago, very early riser and also fond of the telegraph pole about 10 feet from our bedroom window. No massive hardship, I was farming back then and up about the same time as him. Just no concept of Sunday, and I only 1 off out of three.

[nightshade]

Our visitor only drummed on the Tits nest boxes (the occupied ones) so possibly there was more on his mind than communication

[Ladywell]

Has anyone else encountered woodpeckers with a novel method of 'drumming'?

daryl[/quote]
A few years ago there was a GSW drumming on an empty nestbox on the edge of a fairly exclusive housing estate in our village - the noise was amazing and resounded a long way. Residents of the estate (ex townies!!)
complained to anyone and everyone who would listen that it was disturbing their peace!! ?Move back to town

[darylp]

Thanks guys

I have too say that generally Im awake before our visitor starts and to be honest I'm used to wildlife sounds, as I spend alot of time in the woods overnighting!! However his ingenious use of the junction box is a sound I'm not used to :-).
Im always impressed with natures adaptions of what we provide for our own use.
Fortunately he's not payed any attention to the two tit nest boxes in the back garden, I'm hoping for a nesting pair again this year, last years batch didnt make it as the mother deserted. It was a real pleasure watching them grow up until that point. (modern technologies great).
As to the netting idea, I'm not to sure BT would be impressed ;-).

daryl

[NYBraby]

When I lived in the US we had a wood burner which had a metal chimney out onto the roof, the woodpecker would peck it from 6am to 7am every day.

Would wake the whole house up !