[Magdalen] Odd patrons at local eatery

[Charles Wohlers]

We get that every Spring on the metal top of our chimney. It's a 
yellow-bellied sapsucker looking for a mate. Fortunately it doesn't last 
long.

We also have pileated woodpeckers here, although we've never seen one. One 
can see their presence, however, by the distinctive holes they make in 
trees, looking for bugs. https://www.flickr.com/photos/cwohlers/17114836518/

Chad Wohlers
Woodbury, VT USA
chadwohl at satucket.com



-----Original Message----- 
From: Jay Weigel
Sent: Friday, April 01, 2016 9:43 AM
To: magdalen at herberthouse.org
Subject: Re: [Magdalen] Odd patrons at local eatery

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.
> >
>