![]() ![]() Thomas Aquinas High School.On Superbowl Sunday morning, I filled my bird feeders to the sound of a Downy Woodpecker drumming on my maple tree. She teaches at York County Community College and St. Sue Pike of York has worked as a researcher and a teacher in biology, marine biology and environmental science for years. My neighbor has been hearing owls calling in the night like the drumming of the downy woodpeckers, the calls signal the beginning of their breeding season and the coming of spring. Now is the time of year to start listening for sounds that remind us that winter is here, but also that spring is around the corner. This is one reason they like to hammer on gutters and drainpipes and rooftops - all can make wonderful, far-reaching drums. Woodpeckers find a particularly resonant dead tree and drum to communicate. ![]() This kind of distinct, rhythmic drumming is very different from food-gathering drumming it is a form of communication. It is thought that this late-winter drumming is associated with the initiation and maintenance of pair bonds, proclaiming breeding territory and the search for suitable nesting trees, according to "The Reproductive Behavior of Downy Woodpeckers" by Lawrence Kilham, which was published in The Condor in 1962. Then, as winter progresses, right about now, the drumming begins. Downy woodpeckers do not drum much between September and December. The drumming I've been hearing occurs with some regularity in the morning, is very clear and distinctive, repeats for awhile and then stops, and is probably from a downy woodpecker. Woodpeckers whack their heads against trees for a number of reasons: to drill into the bark to get at tasty insects, to establish territories, and to attract mates. Their drumming is slow and powerful and resonant. Large and brash, they swoop through the forest uttering primeval jungle-bird calls, somewhat incongruous in the winter. Both male and female bear a flashy red crest. They are crow-sized, with striking black and white markings. Pileated woodpeckers are the iconic woodpecker, Woody the Woodpecker made flesh. ![]() Downy woodpeckers have a slower-paced drum, with the raps spaced so they are distinct enough to count. They are so small that they can feed on goldenrod galls, pecking away to get at the insects overwintering inside as the dried-out weeds sway to and fro. The petite downy is closer in size to a nuthatch, titmouse or chickadee (with whom they flock in the winter). The drumming of a hairy woodpecker is fast, almost a buzz. The hairy woodpecker is over 9 inches long - robin-sized. The best way to distinguish them is by their size and their drumming. These and their larger cousin the hairy woodpecker are quite common and difficult to tell apart - both have black and white markings, and the males of both species have a bright red patch on the back of their heads, while the females do not. There are three possible sources of this drumming: the tiny downy, the slightly larger hairy and the giant pileated woodpeckers all remain in the north year-round.ĭowny woodpeckers are our smallest woodpecker. This is a classic sound of winter like the clear, high call of a chickadee, that sharp drumming stands out. Just this past week, I've awoken to the distinct sound of a woodpecker rapping against trees. On crisp winter days, when the snow has glazed over into a hard crust and instead of muffling sound seems to clarify it, bird calls come clear and sharp as they skitter over the icy surfaces and pierce the cold stillness. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |