Hello Tweeters,

I walked outside to investigate some strange noises this morning.
It sounded like someone was breaking in so I brought my
checking-for-a-bad-guy accessories (gun, knife, cup of coffee) but
I wish that I had brought my birding gear (binos, camera, cup of
coffee) becuz as I stepped out of the garage into the rain, I was
savagely ignored by a huge female HAIRY WOODPECKER. I say 'huge'
cuz the last few woodpeckers I've seen have been Downy and this one
was large in comparison to those.

I went back for the birding gear and might have gotten one picture
of it as it investigated all the old woodpecker excavations in
various standing dead wood around the yard. It ignored me
completely the whole time and was still out there goofing around
when I surrendered to the rain and went back inside (it was pecking
wood, imagine that!).

The coolest thing about it is that I identified the bird yesterday
from its call. I figured I might never find out whether I was
right or not. Guess I'm better at calls than I thought. I did
have a little help as my PC Comptons only has about 10 bird songs
in it and one of them is a woodpecker. That one's a hairy too altho
it isn't identified in the article and the picture of it is too
vague and poorly lit to make an id. The call recording is
identical to this bird.

Something that's been bugging me all winter: do woodpeckers change
location during winter? Several kinds live here year round,
according to guides. If they are here, do I not see them becuz
they are quiet?

Brice Matson
Cinebar, Lewis County, WA
mailto:matson at myhome.net