Evening star., 1945-06-05
This and That
By Charles E. TrdceueH.
"SUITLAND ROAD S F

Dear Sir:
I have bird problem which l am
gong TO refer to you, in spite of the
1act that the men folks here think there
is nothing can be done about it.
Probably it is an old story to country
people but I was quite alarmed the
first summer we lived here upon being
awakened early one morning by a ter
rife noise like machine gun or rivet-
ing against the weather boards on the
second story of the house.
ut sounded just outside nv window
but l could see nothing out there, and
as it only happened occasionally, did
not think much about it until this
spring. when I have been awakened
every morning at about the same time
as regular as an alarm clock, and kept
awake by 1t, first on one side of the
house, then on the other, which sounds
like an answer or an echo.
I'VE have not been able to discover
nests as the roof slopes mostly, but re-
Gently I have noticed a great many
rough spots in the boards where the
stain is completely worn off. and which
l am positive must have been made by
these birds.
Can you tell me if these birds are
WoodpeckerS. and, now please don't
laugh at me, if there is any way to dis
courage them from using my house to
sharpen their beaks on, of if they must
do SO, to wait until later in the morn
ing, when have had my sleep out?
incidentally, this was gala spring
for the caterpillars out this way. We
had several trees close to the house.
with nests in them, and there were
literally swarms of them lining the sides
OF the windows and doors and walks.
Il noticed all the other trees in the
vicinity full also, but as I was laughed
at when I wanted to know what could
be done about them, was almost afraid
to ask about the bird problem, but had
to get it off my chest as it does seem to
be big year for them, too.
Thanking you for any information
you can give me, even though there is
nothing can be done about it, am,
Very sincerely, M. w. F."
Woodpeckers, including the fickers
do not usually peck on the boards of
house.
They prefer the roof or the metal
downspouts or cutters, or even a garbage
can in the yard.
They dig out holes to nest in, but this
is usually in old tree stumps or dead
limbs.
There are two reasons for humping
away at house.
The first is to get insects.
1t may be that in our correspondents
neighborhood the trees are so infested
With insects that eggs and larvae are
in the boards of sidewalks and roof, es-
pecially where wooden shingles are used
These insect forms the birds are try
ing to clean up, and in doing so render
real service to the householders. It
is not likely that any real damage will
be done in this way.
The other reason why these birds
thump away is seasonal. Often their
drumming is simply love call
Bird answers to bird. Even jazz
band drummers might envy the long
''roll' that a fine flicker can get. This
is the brown bird with the red patch
on the back of his head and the black
crescent on his throat. He may be seen
often cleaning up ants on sidewalks
and from the bark of tree trunks.
All the members of the woodpecker
family, especially the flicker, the hairy
woodpecker and the red-bellied wood
pecker, love to drum on metal.
We have seen and heard them thump-
ing away on garbage cans put out in the
yard on their sides to dry.
The bird will perch on the rim and
lean over and thump on the side He
seems to enjoy both the action and the
noise. F'lickers have been known to
drill entrance holes into barns and de-
serted buildings just to get in. DR..
Arthur A. Allen, in "The Flicker's Story"
makes the bird say: You have to hear
me when I pick out some resounding
gable or drainpipe and sound my tat
too at daybreak on May morning.
You will have no trouble in learning nv
love song, though you may be slow at
convincing yourself that it is attractive
or even desirable so early in the morn
ing"