[Magdalen] Odd patrons at local eatery

[Jay Weigel]

Nope, he wasn't anywhere near the pole, he was on the front of the box. My
suspicion is that it was a territorial thing.

On Fri, Apr 1, 2016 at 10:14 AM, Lynn Ronkainen <houstonklr at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Maybe bugs in pole *behind* metal box?
> Lynn who has has woodpeckers pecking both wood on house and on metal
> gutters
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Apr 1, 2016, at 9:43 AM, Jay Weigel <jay.weigel at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> We got vinyl siding 3 years ago and we *still* get the odd woodpecker
> pouncing on it. They are crazy. My favorite woodpecker story, which I've
> told before, involves the day I was walking up our street in Tennessee and
> heard a pounding-on-metal noise overhead. I looked up to see a good-sized
> woodpecker (not a pileated, so I imagine it was a redheaded) drumming on
> the metal box on one of the utility poles. I wondered what the heck he was
> doing there and decided he was either a frustrated musician or he was
> sending a message about territory.
>
> On Fri, Apr 1, 2016 at 3:18 AM, James Oppenheimer-Crawford <
> oppenheimerjw at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > When our house had ceder siding, we would get these wrapping noises, and
> > there were spots where the shingles were getting drilled through. I would
> > sneak out to the road and walk down far enough to see around the house
> (any
> > closer and the birds would leave before I could get a look at them.  They
> > were a tiny woodpecker, hanging on the shingles and banging away.  I
> called
> > the local Cornell extension and they said this was not uncommon. (What
> were
> > they after? Do I have bugs in my house?) No, that's just what woodpeckers
> > do!
> >
> > We painted and their interest waned. We eventually got vinyl siding. Cute
> > little devils.
> >
> > Today I was out walking and heard a bird calling, and could tell it was
> > nearby, and looked as I walked and finally saw a good sized Pileated.
> > Generally they fly away when I come within even a hundred yards, but this
> > guy stayed. Probably hoping for a meet-up with a potential mate....
>  Good
> > luck, P.
> >
> > James W. Oppenheimer-Crawford
> > *“A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved,
> > except in memory. LLAP**”  -- *Leonard Nimoy
> >
> > On Thu, Mar 31, 2016 at 10:04 PM, Cantor03--- via Magdalen <
> > magdalen at herberthouse.org> wrote:
> >
> >>
> >>
> >> In a message dated 3/31/2016 6:15:29 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
> >> gracecan at gmail.com writes:
> >>
> >> I've had  a Pileated hanging around near the house  >>>>>>>>>>
> >>
> >> We are seeing them less frequently than, say, twenty years ago.
> >> This is because the aspen trees that were pioneers here after the
> >> clear-cutting of the hardwoods for mining timbers have gradually
> >> died and disappeared from the woody flora.  While the aspens  were
> >> dead and dying, the Pileated woodpeckers had a field day and were
> >> a common sight here.
> >>
> >> The aspens have been replaced with some beech, maple, and oaks
> >> of several varieties, and they don't have dead wood for the birds.
> >> There're also hemlock and White Pine.
> >>
> >> Since the house is clothed in T-111 (wood) we have had some
> >> trouble with the Downey Woodpeckers, but they've been better since
> >> the house was repainted.  I guess the paint discourages bugs in  the
> >> siding, and the newly painted siding tastes bad for the woodpeckers.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> David Strang.
> >
>