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I awoke this morning to a loud, repetitive banging noise coming from the north side of the house. I thought maybe the next door neighbors were having some work done on their home, so I went and cracked a blind and peered through. The noise continued, yet I could see nothing out of the ordinary. I raised the blind halfway up and took in the full view, but with the same results. Definitely no roofers in sight, nor any contractors of any kind. Still with the pounding.

So I went downstairs, and after putting on the water for my tea, went out on the back porch and from there outside, and around the corner. It was a woodpecker! The both of us were so startled, I didn’t get the best look at it, but it was small: either a downy or a hairy. I see woodpeckers in the yard frequently, in the spruces or the birches at the edge the woods. Flickers, too. I like them. However, I do not like the idea of them boring a hole in my house. Or the possible implications: what if the woodpecker was foraging for food? Are there insects in our siding? I want my house to provide neither bed nor breakfast to these fowl.

The rest of the morning has been quiet; the bird has not returned. Due to our various states of underemployment, either SodaBoy or I (or both of us) are often home. This is the first time I have heard the woodpecker. And it was very loud. I simply cannot imagine that we wouldn’t have heard it previously were this a return visit, although apparently SodaBoy can sleep through anything. So I tend to think this was a random stop, or else the bird was staking out plans for a new shelter. Let’s hope for the former.