Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Peckerheads

Tasty treats must be hidden here. Every winter morning when I head out early, I'm always hearing the calliope of the rat-ta-tat-tat of all the peckerheads in the trees surrounding our house. They are not partial, it seems, either. Maples, pines, apples are all in play. There are quite a few that visit my feeders. They love the suet I hang out for them.
Back in third grade, I got pretty good at drawing Woody Woodpecker. I loved that cartoon.  I'd do sketches of him on every piece of scrap paper I could get my hands on. Sister Ardmarabalis was not too impressed at my efforts. She wanted me more focused on the pages in the latest issue of "My Weekly Reader". I thought perhaps I could make small cash from my friends drawing Woody and some of my other cartoon friends. Now, I lay this all at the 'hand' of John Gnagy, the TV artist, and that "Learn to Draw" kit that I got from Santa that year. Needless to say, I'm not pounding away at my art any longer, but the woodpeckers are relentless.
They've got to be doing some damage to these trees.
Always the refrain is "Rat-Ta-Tat-Tat...
Don't be a peckerhead!

25 comments:

  1. Found one banging away at the siding on my house not too long ago as I was coming home from work. Like there weren't enough trees around? :-)

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  2. kids these days probably wouldn't even know who woody woodpecker is

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  3. I'm wonder if the woodpeckers do as much damage to the trees as the bugs do.

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  4. That is the name given to one of my golfing buddies. But for different reasons than these birds are called peckerheads. If you get my drift. Speaking of drifts, how's the snow up there? :)

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  5. I have never had this pleasure, I guess it may be funny to hear it for a bit...

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  6. I have my tutor so I am back!

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  7. Male woodpeckers make that noise to attract mates, so much of the rat-a-tat-tat is really about sex, but I think one needs to be a female woodpecker to be excited by that noise. Just hate when they use my house for this purpose.

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  8. Where I used to live, there used to be one who was always rat-a-tat-tatting on a metal light pole. Now that will make a lot of noise.

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  9. these might be sapsucker holes, sipping that sweet sticky stuff!

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  10. I have a few woodpeckers where I live. They will have a go at the house once in a while but they soon give up and head for the trees.

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  11. Good heavens they must have tough little beaks to make these holes Birdman!

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  12. Even if they decide to give our window frames a try, I enjoy watching and hearing their activity.

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  13. It 's always a treat to see them - mostly little Downys here.

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  14. You hear them here more often than you see them, but every once in awhile, one will show up, particularly if you've got a suet feeder over the winter.

    I remember keeping one company for awhile after he flew into the window at my parents' old place, and needed a few minutes to get his bearings. Otherwise one of the cats might have gotten him.

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  15. They certainly have been busy! A few years ago, I had a woodpecker who got in the habit of pecking on one of the gables on my house. Very annoying, especially early in the morning! He finally decided he wasn't getting any food there and moved on.

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  16. Oh man that is some damage.
    Makes for a great textured shot though.

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  17. I thought someone had practised shooting!

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  18. Must be a lot of bugs under that bark . . .

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  19. I can't help thinking that something that makes a living like a woodpecker does can't have a lot of brainpower fueling that head.

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  20. Sister Ardmarabalis? That's right up there with Sister Mary Tarsisius I had in 7th grade. And I certainly watched John Gnagy, too. No talent for it.

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  21. I wondered what your post was going to be about when I read the caption Peckerheads.

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