‘Mad as a March hare’ is the still used centuries’ old declaration uttered by countryfolk to describe anyone acting unpredictably, oddly and excitedly.
The phrase comes from the Springtime antics of this long eared bounder which, if not being illegally persecuted by coursing gangs, is a sight to behold as it frolics in fields, jumping and boxing at its mates and running off at up to 44mph like a mammal possessed.
There sadly don’t seem to be any hares around the fields of Cranleigh these days. But there is a bird that, on the face of it, seems to fit the ‘mad’ billing. The comical looking Green Woodpecker.
The brilliantly painted male, with its red cap, black face and black bordered red moustache, is probably the nearest we have got locally to a bird that resembles a clown.
He carries a sharp dagger of a bill and his ‘yellow button’ eye gives him a startled expression as if he’s been caught doing something naughty. ‘Sorry about the lawn, guv’.
Maybe not so funny if he’s been hopping around drilling your beautiful plot for ants but as he’s capable of devouring around 2,000 of the pesky army a day then he brings a smile to many thankful gardeners.
It’s all a big joke for the Green Woodpecker and he lets you know it as he flies off and screeches his shrill, explosive, laughing call – a fast ‘hee-hee-hee-hee-hee-hee-hee-hee’.
Staying airborne seems to take enormous effort for our green-winged wonder with the long, flashy yellow ‘go faster’ stripe across his rump. Like the mad March hare, he too can reach over 40mph.
If he could fly level then his long, chunky body would resemble a missile. But the flight is undulating. He refuses to flap constantly and so to avoid crashing has to take emergency wing action to regain his height before disappearing into the trees.
There you can hear males and females doing their ‘yaffles’, as their calls are often referred to, so they can stay in touch in the dark woodland where it is harder to spot one another.
They begin their breeding activity in March but as I’ve been hearing them on nearly every walk around the village this winter it seems many just can’t wait to get going.
However, it has been noted that Green Woodpeckers call more if rain is on the way and they are sometimes referred to as ‘the rainbird’. As the rain has been fairly constant around here since last October, perhaps that is the reason.
While it can’t sing it displays some amazing features demonstrating it is designed for the job of excavating holes in suitable trees.
It has two forward facing toes and two facing backwards – unlike other species with three toes at the front and one at the back – and this helps it climb, aided by extra strong tail feathers to give support.
At the other end, its four-inch tongue – which tucks up around the brain until needed – is sticky so its insect prey cannot escape back down the hole.
It is also gifted with hair-like feathers protecting the nostrils from wood dust and splinters while drilling.
So why doesn’t its headbanging, thousands of times a day, not wear out its bill? Amazingly, the bill compensates by constantly growing.
And why doesn’t it ever knock itself out?
Contributory factors discovered recently indicate a small skull, minimal cerebral fluid tightly packed in the brain, fast pecking and the bill’s short travel when drilling all combine to keep it conscious.
The make-up of the Green Woodpecker is far more than meets the eye. It’s not so mad as it looks.
