I have seen it all!!!!!

[bandana4me]

On Saturday morning I took Marley (my dog) for our routine, everyday walk into the woods. I decided to go up the Gale River trail (as we had quite a week with the skunk) just to the river crossing where the bridge was washed out. As we got closer to the end of the trail I heard some metal banging. I thought that maybe the road had been opened (we started around 5:30 AM) and the Rangers were getting ready for the season. As I approached the parking lot, I did not see any vehicles or anybody for that matter. The noise persisted but I could not see anyone! Well I came around to the road and sure enough, there was a WOODPECKER banging on a metal sign. He sure was determined not give up until he drilled a hole thru that sign!!!

The question here is which was worse:
The Woodpecker banging on metal, or me forgetting to get my camera and take a pic?

 

[Raymond]

What was worse was me getting attacked by an owl a couple weeks ago, and not getting any decent photos. Okay, it was dark, but isn't that why they invented auto-focus??? Come on!

 

[forestgnome]

The question here is which was worse:
The Woodpecker banging on metal, or me forgetting to get my camera and take a pic?

Easy...the latter Cool sighting!

Raymond, you were attacked by an owl? Now that is awesome! ( as long as there were no injuries to either of you ).

happy trails

 

[The Hikers]

This time of year the woodpecker will make the loudest sound he can, in order to attract a mate. That metal-banging woodpecker had the right idea.

 

[hikes-with-him]

I wonder if the loud noice negates how silly he looks banging on a metal sign

 

[David Metsky]

I wonder if the loud noice negates how silly he looks banging on a metal sign

He's not trying to impress you.

 

[Paradox]

What was worse was me getting attacked by an owl a couple weeks ago, and not getting any decent photos. Okay, it was dark, but isn't that why they invented auto-focus??? Come on!

To get a picture of that, you would have to be very talon-ted.

 

[TCD]

I have seen exactly the same thing at my house in the Adirondacks, and impressing females is why they do it. (Kind of like men in a bar, when they get into the "who can talk / yell the loudest" mode. No beaks or feathers, but we haven't come very far, have we...).

We heard an unusually loud pecking for several mornings and couldn't figure out where it was coming from. Finally found the woodpecker (a Hairy), banging away on the top of our metal electrical service box. I couldn't understand why, until later. A few days later, the banging stopped, and I noticed that there were now a pair of woodpeckers. So apparently, the strategy works. (Maybe I should practice up on my yelling for the next time I go out for a drink...peck, peck.)

Tom

 

[ROCKYSUMMIT]

I think we have to watch where this is going. All the lady hikers will start calling us bird-brains!

 

[chomp]

With apologies to Team America...

- A woodpecker that pecks at a metal sign...now I've seen everything.
- Have you ever seen a man eat his own head?
- no...
- Then you haven't seen everything, have you?

 

[J.Dub]

To get a picture of that, you would have to be very talon-ted.

Oy, Vegas.

It's too early on a Monday morning for this kinda stuff...

 

[hikes-with-him]

He's not trying to impress you.

Hey...you never know. The Grey Jays thought I was quite something on Old Speck last weekend...oh, wait...maybe that was my sandwich they were really courting. Sigh...

 

[AndyF]

Sounds like just another headbanger who loves his metal.

 

[Stan]

... that's a horny woodpecker ... and they're all horny this time of year.

 

[Dave Bear]

For most of one spring when I lived on Ellsworth Road in West Campton we had a woodpecker that would hammer on our galvanized mailbox. Usually he was at it for over an hour. Must have had poor looks or other qualities trying to find a mate because he came to us daily and we affectionately called him "Tin Woodie"!

 

[Raymond]

Here are a couple pictures of the owl. It was about quarter past four in the morning a few Sundays ago. I decided to walk down a short road not far from my home and something hit me on the top of my head. I immediately ducked, thinking I had walked into a low branch (which has happened often enough while hiking, let's face it), then realized what it must be. We had heard there had been three attacks by an owl right in front of my house, although I hadn't personally seen anything to that point. Remembering what I'd heard when I listened to Bernd Heinrich's "One Man's Owl" years ago, that his owl wouldn't attack if its prey was looking at it, I thought it would be safe to continue walking if I went backward and watched for this owl. Wrong! It kept swooping right at my head, and I had to keep hitting the deck. I tried to take pictures, but everything was out of focus for some reason, which of course I didn't discover until I was back home. I couldn't really afford to check out how the photos were looking at the time.

The second picture is an enlargement of the corner of the first. By the markings in the last shot, we think it was a barred owl.

I hurt my foot or leg or something two days after this all happened, so I haven't been back to look for it (although I heard it hooting last Friday night/Saturday morning) or done any real walking until I'm confident whatever I did to myself is healed. I don't know if it's tendinitis or bursitis or what, but I did something and I don't want to risk ruining my vacations this summer where I can't hike, so I've been laying off the extra walking.

One of the people attacked was quite bloodied, apparently. I had a couple little scabs on my head the next day, but I didn't detect any blood when I checked with tissue paper at the time.

 

[Puck]

Raymond
Great pic.

Barred owls mate in Feb. They are cavity nesters and the offspring are fast growing. The young are in the nearby trees and vunerable, they can't fly yet. So the parents are very protective. I am just glad you are still alive.

 

[darren]

I used to have a norther flicker that would bang on the metal chimney cap on my house for about a 2 week period every spring. It would drive me insane. It was very loud in the house. I would chase it away and it would come right back within minutes. You could not sleep past sunrise. I never knew why it did it. Now it makes sense.

- darren

 

[Tom Rankin]

We were recently attacked by a hawk in the Catskills, it buzzed us twice and it was very loud as it came in. This gave us time to duck, other wise it might have been messy!

 

[ColdRiverRun]

I would chase it away and it would come right back within minutes.

I think this counts as C*ck blocking, Darren. You gotta give it up for the team sometimes!