# Woodpecker



## thewoodlands (Mar 28, 2010)

I was under this tree picking up the last rounds of cherry to split then I could feel bark hitting me plus landing all around me, what type of woodpecker is this?

zap


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## quads (Mar 28, 2010)

Looks like a downy woodpecker.


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## thewoodlands (Mar 28, 2010)

quads said:
			
		

> Looks like a downy woodpecker.



Thanks Quads, he sure was going to town on that tree.

zap


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## quads (Mar 28, 2010)

zapny said:
			
		

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They're fun to watch, always busy.  The downy and hairy woodpeckers look similar, but the downy are a little bit bigger than a chickadee and the hairy are about the size of a robin.  Males have some red on their head, females don't.


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## fossil (Mar 28, 2010)

You don't have to guess:

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/


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## raybonz (Mar 28, 2010)

fossil said:
			
		

> You don't have to guess:
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> http://www.birds.cornell.edu/



Good link thanx, I passed it along and saved it for future reference..

Ray


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## PapaDave (Mar 28, 2010)

Thanks for that link Rick. Info there verified what we thought about the Cardinals attacking one of the stove room windows.


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## firefighterjake (Mar 29, 2010)

quads said:
			
		

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I'm a little slow on the up-draw sometimes and for a long time could never remember which was which . . . until my much smarter (and prettier than me) wife said, "It's not that hard Jay . . . hairy woodpeckers are huge compared to the downy . . . just think hairy and 'h"." Of course, that was before we saw the pileated woodpecker . . . which truly was huge . . . compared to both the hairy and downy woodpeckers.


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## quads (Mar 29, 2010)

firefighterjake said:
			
		

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The pileated makes me stop and stare in amazement every time I see one.  So cool!


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## thewoodlands (Mar 29, 2010)

quads said:
			
		

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Here you go Quads.

Zap


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## quads (Mar 29, 2010)

zapny said:
			
		

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Yep, that's him!


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## webie (Mar 29, 2010)

Ok so how do I keep these little monsters from drilling holes in my house ?


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## firefighterjake (Mar 30, 2010)

webie said:
			
		

> Ok so how do I keep these little monsters from drilling holes in my house ?



Don't let ants or other bugs play House in your home . . . no bugs = no woodpeckers drilling holes in your house . . . at least that's been my experience and I have a feeder with suet blocks located not more than 10 feet away from my cedar shake covered house.


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## billb3 (Mar 30, 2010)

webie said:
			
		

> Ok so how do I keep these little monsters from drilling holes in my house ?



I've heard that some people have this problem and the woodpecker is not eating bugs but either attracting a mate of scaring other males off.

Don't know what a cure would be for mating and / or territorial  rituals , but maybe one or some of those wire thingies that boaters use to keep sea gulls from perching on their boats would work.


Some might suggest a fake predator , but I've seen seagulls perched on fake owls, so I don't think that works too well.


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## firefighterjake (Mar 30, 2010)

billb3 said:
			
		

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Maybe they were really dumb seagulls and were attempting to mate . . . a sea owl? owl gull? seagowl?


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## vvvv (Mar 30, 2010)

billb3 said:
			
		

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Had 1 pecking at a standing aluminum ladder, for days & until I took the ladder down, so to make the noise so try similar & it might keep him off your house.


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## webie (Mar 30, 2010)

The idiots hammer the east side of the house early in the morning when the sun starts to come up and hits it . I have lots of them around here on a warm calm day in the morning you can here them all over drilling . 
 As far as the bugs I had one pecking at the cinder block on my chimney .......must have been concrete bugs.


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