Friday, May 13, 2005

wild life

When I came home from canvassing last night around 8:15 a small bat flew right past my head just outside our front door. It was tiny and fast - woulda thought it was a bird if I hadn't seen one before.

This morning I was walking the dog down the street and I heard a metallic drumming sound. I knew right away it was a woodpecker but I had to get closer and look around to figure out where. The little guy was hammering away on a metal stop sign. He was a beauty - no more than a handspan from tip to tip, with a scarlet head and dappled black and white body. A car drove by and scared him off the sign into a cherry tree - probably better pickings there. But when I came out of the trees onto the upper road there he was again, banging on another sign - maybe he was signalling to a female woodpecker? Does that really impress them? I guess loud sustained hammering indicates the ability to find lots of bugs and grubs for the nest?

We also have crows, robins, chickadees and a predominance of starlings. Something is always flying (or banging) around here.

question: rat a tat?

mompoet - earthbound

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