Pileated Woodpecker !
I wouldn't consider myself a bird freak, but I do enjoy birds, I observe birds, and I keep a (haphazard) list.
One bird that has always been special to me is the Pileated Woodpecker. In some parts of the country, the bird is almost common, but it's always been a special sight for me. When I was a kid on the the farm in Wisconsin, there were only a few Pieated Woodpeckers in the state, but we had a breeding pair on our farm. I was disappointed when a tornado tore down the tree containing their nest -- although the same tornado demolished our house, so at the time, the nest was just one more nice thing ruined by the storm.
Today, when I went out to clean up some fencing, I saw a Pileated Woodpecker on one of our oak trees. For the past week or so, I've been wondering if I've been hearing a Pileated, but the Northern Flicker makes a similar call and the Acorn Woodpecker sometimes sounds similar enough to confuse me. Since we have plenty of the latter species around, I wondered if it was a Pileated, but I basically assumed it was a Flicker.
Today, when I heard the call, I thought Flicker. Then I decided to look anyhow. I saw a flash of red, then a flash of white which flickers don't have, then a huge black body which isn't a flicker.
I watched the bird for several minutes.
It's always nice to see a Pileated Woodpecker.
One bird that has always been special to me is the Pileated Woodpecker. In some parts of the country, the bird is almost common, but it's always been a special sight for me. When I was a kid on the the farm in Wisconsin, there were only a few Pieated Woodpeckers in the state, but we had a breeding pair on our farm. I was disappointed when a tornado tore down the tree containing their nest -- although the same tornado demolished our house, so at the time, the nest was just one more nice thing ruined by the storm.
Today, when I went out to clean up some fencing, I saw a Pileated Woodpecker on one of our oak trees. For the past week or so, I've been wondering if I've been hearing a Pileated, but the Northern Flicker makes a similar call and the Acorn Woodpecker sometimes sounds similar enough to confuse me. Since we have plenty of the latter species around, I wondered if it was a Pileated, but I basically assumed it was a Flicker.
Today, when I heard the call, I thought Flicker. Then I decided to look anyhow. I saw a flash of red, then a flash of white which flickers don't have, then a huge black body which isn't a flicker.
I watched the bird for several minutes.
It's always nice to see a Pileated Woodpecker.
posted by Upper Alpacas | 12:45 PM
2 Comments:
I totally agree! We have a pileated who roams our and the neighboring pasture. A few weeks ago he was flying around, laughing and not 15 minutes later I found a 10 yr old boy out on our field road shooting a .22 rifle at birds and I'm afraid I wasn't very nice to him. I don't think he was specifically targeting the woodpecker, but he's kind of a big, loud target and I got distressed thinking he might get shot.
The boy hasn't been back, but woe be unto him if he shows up again on my property with that gun.
I'm not a bird freak either, but I do get unnaturally happy when I see a bird I've never had before at the feeders or around the yard. I've toyed with keeping a list of them with the bird ID book that stays near the kitchen window.
Wow I'm so jealous. I've had the red-headed, red-bellied, downey, hairy, and flicker at my feeders. They are a delight to me.
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