Ear to the Wild: Downy Woodpeckers and Chicks

We’re back at the headwaters of Sonoma Creek, in Sugarloaf Ridge State Park listening to Downy Woodpecker chicks. We were last here in winter, and now it’s spring.  We’re back at the headwaters of Sonoma Creek, in Sugarloaf Ridge State Park listening to Downy Woodpecker chicks. We were last here in winter, and now it’s spring. Can you hear that high pitched, ongoing sound? It has a steady rhythm like… Those are the Downy Woodpecker chicks! They’re in a nest in the trunk of an Alder tree that’s about 20 feet above the creek. The adult Downy Woodpecker calls as he gets close to the nest. And the chicks get excited when he flies in to feed them. By the way, the drumming you hear off in the distance is probably another Downy Woodpecker. Maybe the female!   Downy Woodpecker chicks at Sugarloaf Ridge State Park. Thanks for lending an Ear to the Wild. I’m Jack Hines. For more information, please visit EarToTheWild.com