Woodpecker Almost Pecks Through Whole Utility Pole

BOTHELL, WA - This is something out of an old Looney Tunes cartoon. A hard-working woodpecker in Bothell pecked nearly clean through a utility pole this week. An eagle-eyed local resident spotted the damage before the woodpecker was able to cause a power outage - or worse.

The Snohomish County Public Utility District was able to replace the pole within hours of the resident calling it in. The lineman who did the work was so surprised, he snapped a picture. The image has drawn thousands of comments on Facebook.

"Don't put Red Bull in the bird feeders, people!" one person wrote.

Snohomish PUD spokeswoman Julie Cunningham said that the utility has dealt with woodpecker damage before, but never like this. The pole was so thoroughly chewed, some suspect that a beaver is to blame.

"That's pretty high up for a beaver," Cunningham said.

The woodpecker - who no one has actually seen - has even earned a new nickname as a result of his work.

"Somebody said that the woodpecker's name should be 'Timber,'" Cunningham said laughing.

Image via Snohomish County PUD