Exchange on the Mobirds egroup:

A: ‘While reading my library book on the front porch, a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker male came to a sugar maple tree. One hour and twenty-five minutes later he left leaving a typical row of holes. Twelve in this case.It would be interesting to know if that hour and a half is about average, or if he is a slow or fast driller. The library book is awesome: “The Secret Lives of Bats” by Merlin Tuttle, 2015.’

B’s response: ‘I’m more interested in the fact that he did this while reading your library book. Who would have thought sapsuckers were interested in bats?’

Enjoyed the sighting of a Literate Woodpecker! Here’s my photo of one, which is reading the book before the tree is processed into paper: