Bird-Lore/Volume 01/No. 2/A Musical Woodpecker

A Musical Woodpecker

In the pursuit of my profession I had occasion for some time to travel over a certain road, along which is a telephone line, the glass insulators of which are placed on short pieces of hard wood which are nailed directly to the post.

Probably half a dozen times, when on this road, I saw a male Downy Woodpecker perched directly beneath the hard wood block, pecking at it in a manner to make the wire ring, then pausing and evidently listening to the music it had produced.

When the vibration ceased the performance was repeated and continued at intervals until I was obliged to drive by and frighten the bird away.—Dr. D. L. Burnett, South Royalton, Vt.