Posted on 03/22/2009 2:08:19 PM PDT by nickcarraway
The woodpecker normally prefers softwood deciduous trees...except in one south Tampa neighborhood.
"Oh my god I am so devastated", Brittany Jones told me when I met her outside her house. "You would think people would commit a crime and it's just a measly little bird."
Yes, a crime, a senseless act of vandalism. And Brittany isn't the only victim of their feathered friend. "I can't believe it actually happened," said neighbor J.R. Gaskin.
Car mirrors are now cracked and shattered, all the result of a woodpecker. Brittany Jones' mother, Dorothy, first spotted it. "I heard something pecking outside and I thought they were doing construction work. And I looked up and went, 'oh my god that's a woodpecker.'"
The red-crested fowl has been very busy, because in one south Tampa neighborhood near MacDill Airforce Base, he has hit at least six vehicles.
Thinking he is seeing another woodpecker in the vehicle's mirror, he has been breaking them out, which doesn't sit well with the victims. "I'm not too happy about it," Jennifer Lyle told me, "especially with this kind of vehicle you can't just replace the glass you have to replace the entire component which is kind of expensive."
Unfortunately, this is not unusual behavior. Woodpeckers have been known to peck at transformers as well as office windows. And not to make matters worse, but in this same south Tampa neighborhood, it seems the little vandal has just had a family. There are now baby woodpeckers in the area, prompting Brittany to say, "It's just ridiculous."
So how long will they be there? At least until nesting season is done, which could be another month. For now, residents are placing bags over their side mirrors so the woodpecker can't see his reflection.
Pileated is what attacked my roof. I heard it the other day on the new roof valley ... sound changed when it reached the extra thick metal flashing and it stopped peckin’. Haven’t heard it on the house since then. The roof valey is angled toward the Eastern horizon so perhaps that’s why the idiot bird is trying to make a hole for a nest up there. I love birds, but not $5 grand worth!
Came with a red dot sight, too!
Ouch!! Ours is back this year and so far has stuck to trees.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.