At first, the downy woodpecker excavation site seemed abandoned. (See postings dated March 25 and 21.) Could yesterday’s rain have scared the nesters away? No downies. No chickadees. Just a hole in a tree about 20-feet above the ground. But then I noticed a soft, muffled tapping.
Tappy, tap, tap. Tappy, tap, tap.
When the tapping stopped, the male downy’s head popped up out of the hole. He had been completely hidden inside the tree cavity. Working.
He looked around for a long time and when he realized there was no danger about, he started to lift debris out of his work site. Only his head appeared, sticking out of the hole, bill full of wood. He’d shake and the shavings and sawdust would fly out of his mouth to float away in the breeze. After which, he’d disappear back into the tree's interior.
Tappy, tap, tap. Tappy, tap, tap. He continued his work.
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