I've seen similar - a Pileated Woodpecker chasing 2 Northern Flickers out of a nest hole in the spring.  Lots of vocalizations among the three.  I can't tell who was on the site first - but I know the Pileated's won.  I saw the heads of the juvs in there later in the summer.

Denise Ryan
Cheverly, MD

-----Original Message-----
From: Maryland Birds & Birding [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On
Behalf Of Carrol Cowan
Sent: Monday, January 16, 2006 10:59 AM
To: 
Subject: [MDOSPREY] woodpecker war


Yesterday afternoon (1/15) I went for a walk without my binoculars, thinking it was too windy for birds to be out.  Headed for the sheltered valley of Dumbarton Oaks park - apparently the birds had the same idea, as the bushes, trees and ground were full of them!   

Hearing a very agitated Downy Woodpecker, I went to see if I could locate it sans glasses, and it wasn't hard.  It was harassing a Red-belly that was investigating the underside of a dead branch that had fallen from a tree and rested between two saplings.  The Downy was in constant motion, dive-bombing the Red-belly or just swooping over it, back and forth between the two trees, and chattering the whole time.  It appeared to actually peck at the Red-belly a couple times.  The larger bird ignored the Downy, occasionally dodging but generally unfazed.

I watched this for several minutes, then returned about 30 minutes later to see what they were fighting over.  There was a woodpecker hole in the branch where the Red-belly had been; I couldn't see anything more than that.  Were they fighting over a roost, or what?
--
Carrol Cowan 
Washington DC 
arielamcATatt.net