Texbirders,
Yesterday (Jan. 3rd), during mid-afternoon, I observed two Hairy Woodpeckers, a
male and female, in my backyard in Huntsville. They were in a pine tree and
stayed in close proximity to one another while I observed them for about two
minutes. They appeared to "chase" each other around the trunk of the tree,
making one note calls incessantly. They appeared to occasionally make brief
contact with one another. For all the world, this looked like a courtship
ritual of some kind. After a couple of minutes, they flew away together to
another part of the neighborhood (I presume).
Can anyone shed light on what was happening here? Was this courtship and, if
so, why on this date in the dead of winter? Are there any other explanations
for this behavior. Any and all thoughts would be appreciated...
Rick Bello
Huntsville, Walker County
East Texas
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