Good morning, Bill. Great blog, as usual. Your entry this morning got me wondering, too, so I thought I would do a little pecking around myself. Turns out your woodpecker may not have been trying to get insects, ants or suck sap. It is possible it was simply doing what woodpeckers do…drumming. Since woodpeckers don't have a song (as a cardinal, sparrow or other passerine bird) they use drumming as a means to communicate. Sometimes the drum to communicate territorialism, sometimes they drum to find a mate. Many woodpeckers eat berries, nuts and seeds to survive the cold and not so cold climates. Here is a link to a Cornell website with more information and even a dismal .wav file of drumming.
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/wp_about/biology.html
