“On our way up to Habarana, Sri Lanka, we had a quick stop besides a roadside fruit stall, intending to get some local fruits for dessert. Besides, also to do a bit of roadside bird photography. Our luck being such, a Red-backed Woodpecker, also known as Red-rumped Woodpecker (Dinopium benghalense psarodes) decided to land on to a concrete telephone pole right in front of me and went around investigating a hole in the concrete as one can see in my picture. Now, one would wonder and ask, doesn’t the woodpecker know the difference between a tree trunk and a concrete pole? Or is it in its experience that most holes would contain a source of meal for the woodpecker?”
KC Tsang
Singapore
17th July 2010
“Curiousity kills the cat” but how about the woodpecker?
2 Responses
Yes, I agree, the woodpeckers do explore for insects in concrete pole holes also. I have photographed Black-rumped Falamebacks doing this.