Posted on 04/06/2025 5:50:29 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Residents in Rockport, Massachusetts are dealing with an unlikely vandal: a woodpecker causing chaos across the neighborhood and shattering windows.
While many initially thought the culprit was a person, the true identity of the "vandal" is far more feathery.
Damage to car mirrors
Janelle Favaloro was the first to notice strange damage to her car, with two mirrors destroyed. At first, she suspected her husband, who in turn blamed their son. However, when the same thing happened to her brother-in-law's car, parked next door, Favaloro began to piece things together.
"People from the neighborhood responded and they said, 'Oh my god, I just lost two mirrors too!'" said Favaloro. "But they didn't know that it was the woodpecker. So we started putting it all together and realizing that he was canvassing the neighborhood."
The woodpecker's mischievous antics quickly turned into a local sensation.
"He came into the yard and he started hopping around on the vehicles and we weren't thinking that he was doing anything wrong," said Favaloro.
Why is woodpecker damaging mirrors? Donna Cooper, president of the Merrimack Valley Bird Club, explained the woodpecker's violent and destructive tendencies. According to Cooper, it's all about mating season.
"Of course, they're not interested in the other males hanging around, so they will attack males and try to scare them away, get them to go away or go somewhere else. And this often or can include attacking mirror images of themselves, including windows and cars," explained Cooper.
Despite the damage, Favaloro and her husband have taken the situation in stride. They said they find the bird quite entertaining and said his new partner needs to teach him some manners.
"I think she's following him around, trying to keep him out of trouble and she's really embarrassed and if she could speak to us, I'm sure she'd say, 'I'm really sorry, I'm sorry,'" said Favaloro.
As for the woodpecker, it seems his behavior isn't slowing down anytime soon. Residents are advised to keep an eye on their vehicles as the feathered vandal continues his rampage on car mirrors throughout Rockport.
They never mentioned this was a Pileated woodpecker. I had to go to the video to see which woodpecker it was.
I saw a blue jay doing that at a park once. We chased it away and it didn’t do any damage but since woodpeckers are built for pecking, I can see where they’d do far more.
I had a Woody Woodpecker kids guitar back in the day. You turned the handle, and it played the theme song.
Awwww! They don’t make them like that anymore. I love his ‘40s incarnation the best!
That’s a loaded question.
Most people don't know the difference. They assume they all look like Woody Woodpecker because they spend more time inside watching cartoons than in spending time in nature. I grew up a city kid in California and, honestly, I never saw a woodpecker of any kind until I moved to Arizona when I was in my 30's. Now they are daily visitors to my yard.
MAYPIES IN N CALIF.
Would sit on the frame of my 1 ton truck mirrors & peck away at themselves.
MAGPIES IN N CALIF.
Would sit on the frame of my 1 ton truck mirrors & peck away at themselves.
A male blue jay will do it, too. And every time he attacks the mirror he craps down the side of the car below the mirror.
My yard, too. I think they’re kinda cool.
Janelle Favaloro’s first reaction was to blame her husband?
Had a woodpecker do the same thing to one of the windows of my house when I lived in East Texas. Didn’t break it, just attacked it on a daily basis.
Yet another reason I had a garage built. Four bays, three for vehicles and one for toys and wood working stuff. I just wish I had had the money to do it 20 years ago.
-SB
Well, she is from Mass and thus probably a Democrat woman.
That means she is beyond stupid and blames men for everything.
I sympathize. We lived on a wooded lot in MA, and our house had wood siding. We had a heck of a time fixing woodpecker damage before we sold the house. I vowed never to have wood siding again.
Me too. They have lots of personality and are a nice change from the other usual birds I get.
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