What do woodpeckers on a tree mean?

[ams3651]

i had woodpeckers in my tulip poplars all winter, the top has a split spot I think they were wintering there. I loved hearing them and looking for them, they were the little Hairy Woodpeckers but at the end of the winter I had the Redheaded ones too.

 

[CritterHill]

Can you tell if the woodpeckers are feeding or just drumming? On a positive note, there may be a lot of drumming to get the girls' attention.

It looks like they are feeding. The drumming I hear in the woods sounds like jackhammers. This is a very dainty, peck, peck, peck.

I'll keep an eye on it. Figures, my brother-in-law is a certified tree expert and has a PhD in forest management or some such related thing, but he lives in Michigan and is not taking his yearly summer trip out to see us this year!