The electrical junction box, fixed to the top of the roadside telegraph pole, displays a yellow sign that warns “Danger of death”. Not that the bird perched on top seemed the slightest bit concerned – the acoustics are exceptional.
I was first woken one snowy morning early in January to short bursts of drilling outside the window. While I’m familiar with the territorial sounds of woodpeckers in my village, which lies close to the historic landmark of Brentor church, this noise was different. It had the resonance of someone impatiently tapping their fingers on a desktop, with the speed of a marching band snare-drum roll.
Looking out between the curtains, I spotted the drummer at work just a few metres away: a male great spotted woodpecker making the most of the percussive qualities of the plastic box.
Hollow branches are the standard instrument of choice for the species, but this individual was obviously taken with the sound it could generate from an electrical wiring rain cover. Since it made its discovery, the woodpecker has been returning regularly to engage in dawn drumming sessions.
There is something comical about woodpeckers – their tree-chiselling antics, the pointed features and the gravity-defying way they lollop up the side of trunks gives them a cartoon-like charm. The great spotted’s markings are bold: black and white with a flash of crimson under the tail, as if it has accidentally sat in wet paint. An additional square of red at the back of the head separates males from females.
Great spotted woodpeckers use their power-drill bill to dig grubs from wood and chip out a nest hole. The males use loud and rapid drumming to signal their presence and attract a mate – which is what my visitor was doing.
It was once believed that shock-absorbing tissues at the front of the skull prevented woodpeckers from knocking themselves unconscious, but more recent research suggests cushioning would reduce effectiveness. Instead, head and beak work as a hammer for maximum impact.
So my headbanging woodpecker is adapted to avoid injury. If anyone is suffering headaches as it pounds out its sunrise beats, it’s me.
• Under the Changing Skies: The Best of the Guardian’s Country Diary, 2018-2024, is available now at guardianbookshop.com
