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Spring is in the air and for the past two weeks I've encountered a Downy Woodpecker along my running route. I hear him from about 400 meters as he sits on top of a metal street lamp post tapping away. I've heard woodpeckers tapping on metal street signs and gutters before so I thought I'd do some research to see if these birds had bashed their heads so much that they were crazy or if the metal tapping had some significance. What I discovered is that this is the mating season for woodpeckers and this behaviour is common. Apparently the male woodpecker uses the loud ringing sound as a method of attracting hot looking female woodpeckers. Reminds me of High School when I thought that owning a muscle car would have girls flinging themselves at me. Apparently the woodpeckers method works. That is unless they pick a piece of metal to bang on early in the morning at the home of a shotgun owner.
Woodpeckers also forage for food by tapping at the bark of trees. Another loud and destructive thing they do is tapp deep holes for the storage of food they find.
Well I hope the little guy gets what he's looking for. He's been working hard and he deserves it. Hopefully he won't land on the streetlamp post and find out that his tin roof rusted.
