Thursday, May 20, 2010
More tales of the pecker...I mean my woodpecker(s). I awoke this morning to the sound of my birds all singing on my deck this morning. I had didn't have any more bird food, so I set out some stale cereal out there for them last night before bed. While doing that, I found some peanuts in the bottom of my birdfood bin, so I also put them out there. The bluejays and the squirrels "share" them ...*snicker*. If any of you feed birds, you know I say that with a chuckle.
I was doing dishes and kept hearing a knocking somewhere. My guy was sleeping, and it was not even 6 am yet so it couldn't be someone at the door...yet. I looked downstairs anyway, nope, no one was at the door...went back to the dishes...knock, knock, knock. Ok, now I had to investigate.
It was my woodpecker, and he had the peanuts, which are in the shell, lined up in the slats of the deck and he was pecking at them! It amazed me, because last week, he and the bluejay were duking it out over them and the bluejay won of course, because the woodpecker couldn't get them open...he found a way! And they say birds are dumb?! Oh, but wait...it gets so much better!
I have now taken a seat and start to watch- that IS what it's called- birdwatching, right? He hops up to the screen and makes a cutesy little noise like a squeaky toy, and cocks his head. This gets my guy up, who is now peeking out the bedroom door- hair all askew, asking in his ever-loving morning way "what the HELL was THAT?" The woodpecker does it again. I respond this time and told him " you're welcome" and he hopped off, grabs a peanut and get this...leans it up in the corner! This is "his" corner. I have seen him grab bugs and lay them there for later. Then he went to the side of the deck and made a different squeaky noise 4 times in a row, and here comes his cute little mate- with a big, fat, round tummy- awww. I kind of thought that was going on because this guy has been getting mouthfuls of suet and instead of sitting and eating, he's been flying with full mouthfuls to the nearby tree...
Well, he makes sure she is watching and shows her the lined peanuts in the slat of the deck and pecks, showing her how to get the peanuts. While she is doing that, he is keeping the other birds away- like standing guard. She spots where I put some peanuts in a blue dish for my chipmunk...and, thinking "hey, looks easier" goes to the blue dish and tries pecking at the peanuts- which roll all around in the dish and gets her nowhere. Mr. Woodpecker, goes over to the dish, and shows her to come back to the lined up ones. She IGNORES him, turning her back when he gets in front of her about three times. Well, I heard my first Woodpecker arguement today! Yep, definetly a tone to Mr and Mrs's squawking back and forth.
So, Mr finally got fed up with Mrs not listening...he went and FLIPPED over the blue dish, peanuts flying all over the deck.He then takes one of those peanuts and sets it up in his corner of the deck- and pecks it open! She was sitting there watching him- with her beak wide open...watching him go back and forth- BUT he didn't open anymore. He stood back and watched her go forward, then she would turn back and look at him. Oh, you just know what that think bubble said- haha!
What an awesome exciting morning! Who needs news? A cup of coffee and some stale cereal and about 20 peanuts- perfect!
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