Rob & Tweets,
No explanation of why, but a shared observation & questionmark. I've heard
pileateds nearly every time out the last 3 weeks. I don't think they're
"newcomers" (there's 2-3 families in the vicinity), just more conspicuous.
Tuesday they (2-4 individuals, hard to tell 'cuz they were moving around so
much) were so active and vocal I thought it was courtship or territorial
behavior. I'm consistently seeing 4 of the 5 (just not all 5 at once).
Yesterday I saw two Hairys (generally the hardest after early spring here)
in two locations (but missed pileated), one banging hard/loudly enough to
pass for a pileated. I also observed two Downys atop a cedar. One just
sitting motionless, and shortly a second popping into view doing this
"dance" thing with neck stretched way out, swinging or bobbing its head
back-and-forth to either side of the tippy-top (nearly eyeball-to-eyeball
with the other), and finally giving a kind of "laugh" or "cackle" (that I've
always associated with pairing) before flying off together. Every Sept/Oct
in Concrete (60's/70's) I was always struck at how plentiful and conspicuous
the flickers were.
Yes, so what is the explanation?
Paul Hicks
Tenino
phicks AT accessgrace.org
-----Original Message-----
Subject: Fall woodpeckers?
From: "Rob Sandelin" <floriferous AT msn.com>
Date: Fri, 9 Sep 2005 14:16:47 -0700

I seem to notice an increase in my sitings of woodpeckers starting in early
fall. Most of what I see are what I consider resident woodpeckers, eg,
pileated, downy, hairy and the red-breasted sapsucker. I just seem to see
them more. Curious about this, anybody have a notion why there seems to be
more woodpeckers out and about in early fall? Rob