Wallace the woodpecker

For the last few weeks as I sit working in my studio, I've had quite an accompaniment. All I hear is this tap, tap, tapping......so loud it feels like someone's tapping on my head.

I quickly realized it was a woodpecker and on several occasions I went outside to see what he was up to - but he'd fly away, squalking! Then I got smart and I'd sneak out....closing the door really quietly and tip-toeing around the back of the house. Then he'd be startled and squalk really loud and fly away!!!


Despite my sneaking, I'm still not sure what exactly he is pecking at .... We are surrounded by trees but obviously something around the roof line in my little attic studio has got his attention......

It gets a little annoying after a while.....but then I figured maybe he was trying to tell me something...and maybe that something was that he wanted a little bit of attention!


And so, I made a necklace of Wallace the woodpecker. It seemed a little odd in design terms to have a woodpecker pecking at a tile roof, so I showed him pecking at a tree...and maybe he will get the hint!

He looks so like a Wallace.....with that little bit of naughtiness and cuteness.....not that I know any other Wallaces..... Do you have any noisy woodpeckers near you, asking to be sculpted in silver?

Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap.....

Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap. Tap, tap, tap.....

That was the distinctive noise I heard as I walked back to the house from my studio this afternoon. I knew exactly who it was!


I couldn't see him to start with as I was looking up into the trees in our woods, and he was actually quite low down - only about 6 foot up in the tree. I was close to him, but knew he was busy and wouldn't bother with me. So I went inside and got my camera.


His head moves so fast, it's difficult to get a good photo in focus - guess I needed to adjust my camera - but it was pouring down with rain. (Yes, we have rain at last...but that's another story!)

Our arborist just came yesterday to check out the trees. Obviously our friend here thought he should check them out too. Not sure how big he's hoping this hole we get.... I'll have to keep an eye on it.
And if you didn't know, our visitor is Chisel the Pileated woodpecker. The largest of American woodpeckers - they can grow up to 17 inches tall. You can tell it's a male by his little red cheeks - the females have white cheeks! And yes, the pileated woodpecker was the bird that inspired the creation of Woody the Woodpecker!