In the spring, it is natural for woodpeckers to stake out their territory and map out their nesting sites. Males drum loudly on available objects--preferably metal--to attract females and dissuade other woodpeckers from wandering into their chosen territory. In many of Colorado's urban areas, excellent woodpecker habitat has been created wherever hollow trees such as old growth cottonwoods exist. Northern flickers, the largest of the Colorado Front Range woodpeckers, wake up their human neighbors by drumming on hollow trees, telephone poles, gutters and metal chimneys early in the morning, creating a stir when the "rat-a-tat-tat" continues on a daily basis for several weeks. This "jack hammering" ritual has been interpreted by many as a call-to-arms. Yet, the woodpecker's behavior this time of year is not to be taken personally, but should be understood as a woodpecker's way of signaling their intent in a competitive world.

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