Birds and Nature, Vol. XI, No 3, March 1902 — The Hairy Woodpecker

The woodpeckers on trunk of gnarled trees Tap their quick drum-beats with their horny beaks.

—Isaac McLellan, “Nature’s Invitation.

” The geographical and the breeding ranges of the Hairy Woodpecker are practically the same.

These include eastern North America from the southern provinces of Canada southward to the States bordering the Gulf of Mexico and those of the southeastern United States bordering the Atlantic Ocean.

In these States it is occasionally found during the winter season.

Westward its range extends to the Rocky Mountains.

It is, however, most abundant in the forest areas of the Northern and Middle States, where, as it is a hardy bird and not greatly affected by extreme cold, it is generally a constant resident.

Though occasionally found in old orchards, its choice feeding grounds are the timbered regions of river banks and other bodies of water.

Here and in the trees at the outer borders of forests it seeks its food by itself, for it has an unsocial disposition, and it is seldom that more than a pair are seen together.

“It does not live in harmony with smaller species of its own kind, and drives them away when they encroach on its feeding grounds, being exceedingly greedy in disposition and always hungry.

” It also is not adverse to a home in the deeper forests and may even frequent clumps of trees in the open.

The Hairy Woodpecker is one of the most useful and valuable friends of human interests.

Not only does it feed upon the larvæ that burrow in the wood and bark of our forest and orchard trees, but also upon beetles and other insects.

It is only in the winter season, when its natural food is not readily obtained, that it gathers seeds and fruits.

It never attacks a sound tree for any purpose, and the loss caused by the amount of useful grain destroyed is greatly overbalanced by the good that it does in the destruction of noxious insects.

The value of this shy and retiring bird is well illustrated by Mr. V. A.

Alderson, who says in the “Oologist” (July, 1890): “Last summer potato bugs covered every patch of potatoes in Marathon County, Wisconsin.

One of my friends here found his patch an exception, and, therefore, took pains to find out the reason, and observed a Hairy Woodpecker making frequent visits to the potato field and going from there to a large pine stub a little distance away.

After observing this for about six weeks, he made a visit to the pine stub, and found, on inspection, a large hole in its side, almost fifteen feet up.

He took his ax and cut down the stub, split it open, and found inside over two bushels of bugs.

All had their heads off and bodies intact.

Now, why did the Woodpecker carry the bugs whole to the tree and only bite off and eat the heads, which could have been done in the open field?

” The Hairy Woodpecker has no leisure moments.

He is always active and The little tap of busy bill The signal of his work and skill.

is ever present To rid the soil of every foe, To guard the leafy trees.

The movements of this Woodpecker are interesting, for, like its sister species, it moves with equal facility either upwards or downwards, sidewise or backwards upon a tree trunk.

From time to time it will stop and seem to listen, and, finally bracing itself with the stiff feathers of its spiney tail, it will deliver powerful blows with its chisel-like bill at some point that will be likely to furnish a dainty morsel of food.

There is little doubt that its sense of hearing is very acute and that it can detect the slightest movement of an insect in the bark or wood of a tree that to other animals would be imperceptible.

The flight of the Hairy Woodpecker is like that of the other species of its group.

It is wavering and undulating, seldom protracted and usually consisting of a number of short vibrations of the wings.

When alighting, they grasp the object with both feet simultaneously.

This Woodpecker is the earliest of all the family to build its nest.

Mating begins in the latter part of March, and at this time the birds are exceedingly noisy.

The male when not feeding will resort to some dead limb and vigorously drum and “the louder the noise produced, the more satisfactory it appears to be to the performer.

” Regarding the building of the nest, Major Bendire says: “Both sexes take part in the labor, and it is really wonderful how neat and smooth an excavation these birds can make with their chisel-shaped bills in a comparatively short time.

The entrance hole is round, as if made with an auger, about two inches in diameter, and just large enough to admit the body of the bird; the edges are nicely beveled, the inside is equally smooth, and the cavity is gradually enlarged toward the bottom.

The entrance hole, which is not unfrequently placed under a limb for protection from the weather, generally runs in straight through the solid wood for about three inches, and then downward from ten to eighteen inches, and some of the finer chips are allowed to remain on the bottom of the cavity, in which the eggs are deposited.

Both dead and living trees are selected for nesting sites, generally the former.

When living trees are chosen, the inner core, or heart of the tree, is usually more or less decayed.

These nesting sites are nearly always selected with such good judgment that such obstacles as hard knots are rarely encountered; should this occur, the site is abandoned and a fresh one selected.

” The male, after the work is completed, will often excavate one or more holes in the same tree in order that he may have a resting place at night near to his mate.