Who's drumming up noise? It's a northern flicker

It's nesting time and the flicker male is searching for the perfect spot to raise his young. Once he has located it, he will attract a female by drumming with his beak on metal or hard wood. This behavior does not cause any harm and will subside once the decision has been made where to nest.

In this area, we mostly see the red-shafted flicker, while in eastern areas the yellow-shafted is more common. Females lack the red mustache marks.

Even though woodpeckers are often not wanted because of their ability to ruin wood siding, they will only do this if there's a problem with insects to begin with. They are also beneficial ant eaters, that's why you see them often on your lawn rather than in the trees!

They also like to eat suet from feeders in your back yard and are fun to watch.

Text and photo by Rosi Jansen