Hello Tweeters -

My folks have a family of Red-breasted Sapsuckers that have been showing some interesting behavior. They asked me to pose their questions to you all to see if you have also encountered this type of behavior.

For the past 15 years, these birds have taken to tapping on the metal box on the electrical pole across the street. The sound resonates and is very distinctive. How long do Red-breasted Sapsuckers traditionally live? Because it's been over 15 years that this has occurred, do you think this is a behavior taught to their offspring?

I am including a link to the beginning of some pictures of one of these birds and it's methodical tapping into one of the folks' Mountain Ash trees. Feel free to scroll through and enjoy! My family looks forward to your input and thoughts on their questions.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/backyardbirderwa/2862980594/in/photostream/

Best,
Whitney H.
Des Moines, WA