Why is that Woodpecker making so much noise?

 

Woodpeckers sometimes hammer on metal siding or flashing, resulting in an annoyingly loud noise. It’s almost always a male, and he’s not looking for insects; he’s discovered that his pecking can be heard from much farther away.

It looks like the same hammering behavior that's typical of all Woodpeckers. But it’s a signal telling females that he’s on the prowl, and for other males to stay way. If it doesn’t work (and it rarely does), he’ll eventually go try something else.

it’s magic!      Colonial New Englanders believed that the Chipping Sparrow and the Dark-eyed Junco were the same bird!  The Chipping Sparrow (which is there in summer) simply changed its plumage for the winter, to a Junco’s gray. Understandable for the 18th century I suppose - they’re roughly the same size and have a similar song;  and DNA hadn’t been figured out yet.  

Chipping Sparrow

  

 

OWEN YOST, in addition to being a blogger, is a licensed Landscape Architect emeritus who has lived and worked in north Texas for over 30 years. He is the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award of the Native Plant Society of Texas, and is a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), International Federation of Landscape Architects, National Wildlife Federation and the Audubon Society. His office is at Yost87@charter.net in Denton.