Young Downy Woodpecker

I sat gazing out the big colonial windows in my kitchen with my cat, Winkie perched on one knee.  She saw the bird before I did.  A disheveled young Downy Woodpecker landed on one of the green metal lawn chairs.  She pecked at the metal repeatedly, trying her darnest to get a meal.  She obviously hadn’t got the whole wood part of woodpecker down yet.  After several minutes of jabbing the chair then hitching up to try again she gave up and flew to the nearest oak.  She pecked at that for a while, before flying off to try another oak.

Now, I know that woodpeckers will peck at houses and I have heard of them banging away at eaves and drainpipes…but metal chairs?  Huh.  The things ya see.