On Saturday, October 14, 2017 at 9:12:58 PM UTC-5, Electric Comet wrote:


now i wonder how woodpeckers sense the density of the wood

They don't have to be concerned with wood density.

do they just peck randomly until they find a soft spot

They can hear the grubs inside the decaying wood and peck towards the sound. Most grub infected wood is less dense than healthy growing wood. Grubs are less likely to be in healthy wood.

As to siding boards, I think most may be cedar or some other soft wood, besides being relatively thin and usually no match for a manly peckahead.

Sonny