FREE PRESS • May 12, 2020
By early April, I begin hearing the male sapsucker’s shrill, squealing calls and distinctive drumming rhythms that announce his presence. Typical drumming cadences begin rapidly but, near the end of the sequence, slow to dragged-out, countable taps. Male sapsuckers seek the most resonant-sounding posts, such as telephone poles, dead hollow branches, and even metal street signs, to amplify the effect. ~ Don Reimer