The Woodpecker: The Drummer Of Nature's Orchestra !

Have you ever heard a Woodpecker in action ?

" Rural living and Birdlife 101 " should be a required course before anyone ventures forth into the countryside. Swapping city life for rural leisure brings some comical experiences with it.

For years we have fallen asleep to the cacophony of noise a normal city produces; car hooters, brakes squealing, emergency vehicles driving past with their sirens on full, couples arguing next door and trucks applying air brakes or just shifting gears. You get used to this as your lullaby !

In our almost two years of being in the country we have fallen in love with our new lullaby. Mostly it's silent except when our cat defends her territory and virtue against an audacious tomcat, the odd car idles past or depending on the wind direction at the time, the baby from next door makes itself heard...

Mornings are also vastly different. Even before sun-up, the birds are limbering up their vocal cords to start their serenade. Did nature intend it like this or are we just lucky to get this combination ? By the time we're properly awake, the concert is in full swing.

It can go on for hours and is one of the nicest ways to start the morning. Lying in bed, window open, cup of coffee in your hand and the birds tweeting to all and sundry. Of course there is one fellow who ' sings ' off key or rather out of kilter. ( One of life's ironies is that people who can't sing well always sing at the top of their voices )." Knock, Knock " can only be the Woodpecker.

I find him quite refreshing and try and pin point his tree. Somehow he manages to find the one that makes him echo the loudest. It drives Bob mad and he thinks that the Woodpecker especially waits until he's awake to start his knock knock sequence. Every now and again Bob shouts his answer of " Who's there ? " out the window, which the woodpecker seems to interpret as...encore !

The other morning Bob took the camera to get a snapshot of the Woodpecker. Amazingly he stayed put and posed for Bob...

Isn't he just gorgeous ?

Biggi

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