Drilling sound from sapsucker penetrates house Woodpecker drumming not same

It’s great to have the birds back and to be woken up by them in the morning – even if it is too early. Although I’ve been closing the windows on some of the chillier nights, some of the louder noises still filter through.

The sound of the resident yellow-bellied sapsucker’s drumming never fails to penetrate my light, early-morning sleep pattern. Especially so because he has chosen the perfect medium: a large, flat board that supports the electricity meter, which is nailed to the telephone pole in front of the house. This platform makes his drumming especially loud and resonant, and he has used it often.

The sapsucker’s drumming is easily distinguished from that of other woodpeckers. It starts out somewhat quickly, then falters to a slow, irregular beat before stuttering to an end: “rat-ta-tat-tat… tattat… tat… tat.. tat.”

It sounds as if the bird suddenly looses energy and enthusiasm for territorial defense and advertisement. It is the male that does the most drumming, but the female will also drum, albeit more softly and briefly.

It is this bird’s food preference that has given it its odd name. I liken it to our habit of drilling holes in maple trees each spring to collect the sweet sap that is rising within the tree, eventually giving rise to wonderful maple syrup.

The sapsucker maintains its own “sugar bush” by drilling small wells through the barks of trees, then lapping up the sap. Birch trees seem to be a favorite source; I have often seen neat little holes drilled in short rows one above the other on the trunks of these trees.

In addition to sap, these woodpeckers also feed on small insects, fruit, and seeds, as well as the inner cambium layers of trees.

I found out interesting facets of their life history and breeding biology through my favorite source, the “Birds of North America” species accounts. Sapsuckers may return to the same tree, and may nest in the same cavity, every year. Mated pairs, if each survive through the seasons, re-establish their bonds with each other after coming back to their breeding grounds.

Interestingly, it is the male that does the lion’s share of nest-cavity excavation, but I had to laugh when I read the female will take a more active role if for some reason the first site is unsuccessful.

Also interesting is that the male sleeps in the nest cavity at all stages of the breeding cycle, while the female roosts outside. The male has the ability to incubate as well as the female. Both have what are called “brood patches” – small areas lower on the abdomen that lose feathers and become thick-skinned and rich with blood vessels just before eggs are laid.

Nest building and egg laying have usually commenced by mid-May to early June and will be influenced by weather. Both parents will feed the young. In some instances, observers have noted a parent bird dipping small insect prey in sap before feeding it to nestlings – this practice may provide extra nutrition to the swiftly growing young.

The sap made accessible by these woodpeckers also benefits the ruby-throated hummingbirds. Next week’s column will explore this in more detail.

Chris Corio, a volunteer at Fields Pond Audubon Center in Holden, can be reached at fieldspond@juno.com