April 19, 2007 Issue

It’s official: I’m old and I have no life. Here’s how I know:

For the last several years I’ve enjoyed having a number of bird feeders in my yard. It’s a good work break to sit and watch the birds at play and in the spring and early summer watch them teaching their offspring how to feed on my largesse. Through the use of a bird book, I’ve gotten better at identifying what kinds of birds venture into my yard. In my last location there were a number of Red-bellied Woodpeckers about and they are such majestic birds, they were a joy to watch.

When I first moved, I noticed I had a dead tree in my yard; the perfect habitat for Red-bellied Woodpeckers, yet it was weeks before I saw one lone male. I knew it was a male because even though in this species the male and female look almost identical, the entire head of the male is red right down to the beak, whereas the female has a gray patch on her head.

A couple of weeks ago while my sister was visiting, we kept hearing this very strange tapping on the roof of the patio. It was the woodpecker. “That’s one confused woodpecker,” my sister said. It persisted for days at varying times of the day, sometimes on the roof, sometimes on the side of the house, generating different sounds. Then one day my sister heard on TV that when woodpeckers do this sort of thing, it is their way of advertising they are in need of a mate.

It’s the woodpecker equivalent of a singles ad. Wanted: female Red-bellied Woodpecker to share large dead tree in a yard where inhabitant spends more money on birdseed than personal care products. Feeder always full. Good water available. Looks unimportant, but must be willing to reproduce and be of same species. Long-term relationship is a distinct possibility. Mellow goofy dog is no hindrance nest building. Apply immediately, time’s a wasting.

After my sister left I noticed the tapping sounds has also ceased. Since I saw no evidence of any woodpeckers, I suspected the fellow had moved on to a different hood in search of his perfect other and I wished him well.

Outside my office window, almost close enough to touch were I to reach out are three feeders. Two are for birdseed and one is for suet, a favorite of woodpeckers and mockingbirds. As I was wool gathering one day, I noticed a female Red-bellied Woodpecker at the suet station. I smiled as widely as I would had my two best friends just gotten engaged. I was inordinately happy the lonesome fellow had found himself a mate. I sent an email to my sister. I wished it were that easy for two humans to match up.

Now that they have found each other, I mostly see the female, stuffing herself several times a day. I think in this breed, the male builds the nest and I’m hoping they are using the dead tree, which is also adjacent to my office window. If the two have indeed hooked up, in about a month I should be seeing the offspring.

When the cold weather came through around Easter, I saw one lone Yellow Warbler. Although they aren’t all that uncommon in Florida, I had never seen one before. Just one glimpse and it was gone and it never came back. Clearly on his way somewhere else and just stopped long enough to grab some suet.

Soon there will be an influx of the lovely Indigo Buntings, as they make their way north for the summer. These little guys are brilliantly colored and usually hang around for a few days to fill up for the long flight north. Like I said, I have no life and I’m old.

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