Persistent Woodpeckers

I was strolling down the path to the lake the other day when I noticed a sugar maple with an unusual pattern around its bark. Getting closer, I could here the rhythmic "tat, tat, tat" as a woodpecker drilled away on an upper part.

In this case, the culprit was a hairy woodpecker like the one in this photo, a common sight and sound here in New Hampshire. Their strongly contrasted black and white wings make them very identifiable. The small patch of red on the back of this guy's head identifies it as a male. We often have them visit us at the suet feeder. They like to feed on it flipped upside down which is quite entertaining to watch.

They bore holes to get both sap and insects. The damage looks bad, but it's usually self-healing.

He was so consumed with his woodworking project that he completely ignored my presence despite my shuffling feet around fallen leaves and cracking downed branches. He was intently focused on making yet another hole. Credit to these beautiful birds for being so persistent!