Mockingbirds commonly sing on spring and summer nights.
If the bird sounds like several different birds, one right after another,
you can be sure it is a Mockingbird.
Birds sing to mark their territories, but no one knows
why Mockingbirds also sing at night. Often, they sing on moonlit nights.
The best solution is to learn to enjoy it or at least tolerate it, as we
often tolerate unnatural noises without thinking about them.
The attacking bird is defending its nest and young. This
aggressive behavior, meant to intimidate predators, is usually not dangerous
and stops when the young leave the nest. If a Mockingbird, Blue Jay, or
Red-winged Blackbird is dive-bombing your head, stay away from the nesting
area - or wear a hat!
In the spring, male woodpeckers 'drum,' beating their beaks
on any chamber with good resonance, to show females their readiness to breed
and to warn other males away from their territory. It serves the same purpose
that songs do in other species. The loud, rapid drumming differs from 'pecking,'
a softer, irregular tapping made when the bird is probing for insects to
eat.
The side of a house often produces just the right sound
for a drumming woodpecker. It does not mean you have termites or other insect
infestations. The bird is not drilling holes in your house looking for food,
though he may damage shingles.
To discourage the woodpecker, try hanging a piece of cloth
or plastic over the affected area to lessen the resonance. Or just wait.
The drumming will end once breeding season is underway. However, if the
bird is pecking on your house, it may indicate an insect problem.
Check the area the bird is drilling for insect damage.
Woodpeckers sometimes pound on houses in the fall, after
the breeding season. One theory explains this behavior by day length. For
two weeks or so in the fall, day length matches breeding season day length
and thus inspires the birds to drum. Another possible explanation is that
the birds are drilling for insects that crawl under shingles to hibernate.
To discourage woodpeckers in the fall, try the same tactics suggested above.
Seven species of woodpeckers live in Rhode Island, but
only the Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, and Northern Flicker are common.
Breeding Season Antics