The males are showing off

Our friend Lance Mannion tells a story about woodpecker trouble:

Uncle Merlin called in from the Cape this morning to report he’s having woodpecker trouble. Judging by his description, a female downy has punched a hole in the eave of his house. He wanted to know how to drive her away. 

“I can’t have her building a nest in there and having babies.” 

I assured him that’s not what was happening. Downies don’t nest until the spring. What she’s doing is building a little apartment for herself for the winter. 

Uncle Merlin was not mollified. “Well, I don’t want her banging away up there all winter either.” 

She won’t be doing any banging. 

“I heard her!” 

When? 

“I don’t know. Last time I was down here. Two weeks ago?” 

That might not have been her. 

“Of course it was her. It’s her hole!” 

It didn’t take her two weeks to make that hole. A day, tops, and she did it quietly. Lots of poking and pecking with her beak. But no banging. That’s not how they work. The banging you heard was probably a male woodpecker showing off.

Rest of the story here.