We have heard that they are not often sighted and occur in pairs, the pileated woodpecker, the model for Woody the Woodpecker of our cartoon fame. I remember laughing like silly when I watched Woody's antics. Wikipedia offers this "
Woody Woodpecker cartoons were first broadcast on television in 1957 under the title
The Woody Woodpecker Show, which featured Lantz cartoons bookended by new footage of Woody and live-action footage of Lantz. Woody has a motion picture star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame on 7000 Hollywood Boulevard.
Woody Woodpecker is an animated cartoon character, an anthropomorphic acorn woodpecker who appeared in theatrical short films produced by the Walter Lantz animation studio and distributed by Universal Pictures. Though not the first of the screwball characters that became popular in the 1940s, Woody is perhaps the most indicative of the type. Woody was created in 1940 by storyboard artist Ben "Bugs" Hardaway, who had previously laid the groundwork for two other screwball characters, Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, at the Warner Bros. cartoon studio in the late 1930s. Woody's character and design would evolve over the years, from an insane bird with an unusually garish design to a more refined looking and acting character."
I remember the Woody Woodpecker Song, do you? Actually he was one of my favorite cartoons so I suppose I should honor his nemesis here in MN in our yard, but really. " In 1947, Woody got his own theme song when musicians
George Tibbles and
Ramey Idriss wrote "The Woody Woodpecker Song", making ample use of the character's famous laugh.
Kay Kyser's 1948 recording of the song, with
Harry Babbitt's laugh interrupting vocalist
Gloria Wood, became one of the biggest hit singles of 1948 Other artists did covers, including Woody's original voice actor,
Mel Blanc. Lantz first used "The Woody Woodpecker Song" in the 1948 short
Wet Blanket Policy, and became the first and only song from an animated short subject to be nominated for the
Academy Award for Best Song; Lantz soon adopted the song as Woody's theme music, and due to the song's popularity, Woody Woodpecker fan clubs sprang up, theaters held "Woody" matinees, and boys got the "Woody Woodpecker" haircut. Woody's wild days were numbered, however. In 1946, Lantz hired
Disney veteran
Dick Lundy to take over the direction chores for Woody's cartoons. Lundy made Woody more defensive; no longer did the bird go insane without a legitimate reason. " Maybe our bird just did not get the memo?
For a few weeks now, from our kitchen window, we have been watching this big guy land at the back yard bird feeder station and posts. He is immense with a wingspan the size of a small hawk. We will attempt to get better photos but for now, here is our destructive Woody. Bird watchers think us fortunate to have this guy, I am not so sure after today; in this picture to the right of him you can see whitish stuff, that is the remnant of the post which he has just started to destroy yesterday, and has made great progress. The adjective "insane" seems to fit this character because if we don't get something done, he is going to take the station down! That white streak to the right of him is opened wood, on the 4 x 6 post which he has shredded away, huge shreds and splinters of wood are all over the ground below. Check out the size of his beak! He attacks with it, we have seen him go after a squirrel that he thought ventured too close. Here you see him moving the suet feeder and better exposing the destruction he has wreaked! I can tell you I was not singing the Woody song today when I watched him, nor was I trying to mimic that Woody laugh, which I was quite good at in my childhood, driving my mother around the bend. We have heard that people in this area disdain building homes of wood, fearing the woodpeckers will seek out pecking orders and with what he has done to the post you can imagine the fear of having your home pecked to death by a bird!
Just so you can see for yourself his size, the right in this photo shows the bird feeder tube which is about two feet long, it is to discourage squirrels as the seed doors shut down from their weight when they land there. You can see Woody is at least half the length of the tube, which Jerry refilled after these photos. We enjoy watching the birds and there used to be several other kinds of woodpeckers at the suet feeder but not lately. I mean would you want to take on this beak?
I remember Woody Woodpecker and the song. I was given a copy of Birds of North America some years ago. It's glossy and colourful but doesn't give any indication of the size of the pileate woodpecker but there is no mistaking that chisel of a beak - and the damage it can do - as your pictures show.
ReplyDeleteOh yes, we do know the acorn woodpecker. We have oak trees, large old oak trees. Between the gray squirrels, three that we know of, and the woodpeckers, the dropped acorns are scoured from the yard within a few days. Twice, recently, we have watched young woodpeckers as they come out of the nest and start learning the woodpecker skills. Sometimes I hear them drumming on what sounds like the house. But I have examined the exterior and haven't found any sign of damage. Can't say the same about the barn. They have opened up several places and try to stash acorns in the holes. They fall on a shelf about a foot below their depository. But they are fun to watch and at this age it is likely some other person will have to repair or replace whatever. LOL
ReplyDeleteTom
Bob, our bird book of Minnesota & Wisconsin indicates that the bird's bill becomes shorter as he ages so we have a young man! It also says they are large, from 16 to 19 inches in length and a wingspan of 29-32 inches.
ReplyDeleteI neglected to mention that I almost always wake up with that Woody Woodpecker hair do. That first image in the mirror is really quite a shock. :-)
ReplyDeleteYou have excelled with blogging. Rv-ing, birdwatching, the love of words, sharing books that were enjoyed; a friend lead me to you and I would be honoured to be a follower from British Columbia.
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