If I had a hammer ...

If I had a hammer,
I'd hammer in the morning,
I'd hammer in the evening,
All over this land.

(To see the song done by Peter, Paul, and Mary, click here).

Clearly, this flicker has something to say. It could have picked something a little harder than Styrofoam though if it wanted to really create a din. Flickers "hammer" on various surfaces for four main reasons. Attracting a mate, declaring a territory, excavating a nest hole, and finding food.

Most of us have experienced the early morning sound of a flicker pounding away on a piece of tin they found on some suburban roof. They may not be making any progress in terms of putting a hole through the metal, but the racket they make will let others know that this is their land. The surface is somewhat unimportant, as long as it can produce a lot of noise. City transformers, satellite dishes, and even metal sheds all resound their intent. It is also a call to any potential mates in the area. "Here I am, I shouldn't be too hard to find. Just direct yourself towards the ear-splitting noise I am making." Not too subtle, but effective.

This flicker, a male, is getting busy excavating a hole. Usually, they choose dead trees where the wood is softer and any bugs that are uncovered are just a bonus. This one found that the styrofoam block was perfect for deconstructing. Unfortunately, the styrofoam itself may get ingested into the bird's digestive or respiratory system. I can also imagine the building's owners not being too thrilled at the prospect. My guess is that the woodpecker never finished his project.

Finding food is of paramount importance. Most woodpeckers use their tongue-encased brains to find dead wood where potential meals are hidden. They have very good listening and smelling abilities and can hear/smell insects gnawing away inside the substrate. Flickers are somewhat different in that they get most of their food from the ground. It turns out that flickers are very fond of ants. I have seen flickers take ants crawling up and down tree trunks as part of their continuous routine. They also find ant nests on the ground and dig holes picking out all pupae and adults they find.

Don't be too annoyed at any woodpecker in your area that is waking you up early making noise. It usually only lasts a short time and is indicative that your area has some healthy wildlife present. After all, isn't it better to co-exist rather than to wipe-out the wildlife around us?

Thanks for reading.     Ericspix     Eric Svendsen