Pileated Woodpeckers.........

[CathyA]

Saw 2 of these outside my window yesterday. I don't get to see them very often. I used a telephoto lens to get this pic. The original was much darker, but a naturalist friend of mine said with the darker image, she couldn't see if it was male or female. I guess the "mustache" on the male is red and it's black on the female. Once I lightened it up, I could see it's mustache is red.

I suppose the only down side of having these birds around is that they create huge holes in live trees for their nests. But I would welcome them anyhow!

2078

[dado potato]

Their babies are amazingly cute when they stick their heads out of the cavity, waiting and watching for them to bring home something to eat.

[CathyA]

I hope I can see that sometime!

[rosarugosa]

We have seen them in our local woods in the past couple of years - so amazing! Thanks for sharing your photo!

[frugal-one]

We have them also.... So cool.... great photo!

[KayLR]

We get Downy woodpeckers in our apple tree....it's always such a treat to see them! Thanks for sharing your photo!

[Alan]

A few years ago we had a pair take up residence in an oak tree in the back yard. I was amazed at the huge cavity they made and the fact that they made two perfectly round entrances. The local squirrels are enjoying the digs now.

[Rogar]

Those are neat birds. We don't have them around here, but I've seen them in travels.

[SteveinMN]

There are enough trees with woodpecker holes around here that they apparently are not uncommon. But I don't usually see them working on trees. However, a Nuttall's woodpecker spent time at our birdbath a few times two summers ago. Can't find the picture now (assuming I took one; they don't always stay long enough there for me to grab the camera). Beautiful.

[Williamsmith]

We have them and I enjoy seeing them in the woods while hunting, walking, cutting wood. But I do not enjoy seeing them on the rare occasion they think they might find food beneath your wooden soffit. They are a magnificent bird though.

[CathyA]

We have them and I enjoy seeing them in the woods while hunting, walking, cutting wood. But I do not enjoy seeing them on the rare occasion they think they might find food beneath your wooden soffit. They are a magnificent bird though.

Yeah, woodpeckers of all kinds love to find bugs in the wood siding of the house. My SIL was having major problems with that. She found that if she stopped putting out suet for them, they didn't bother her house so much! Our problems are more from carpenter bees.......but then the woodpeckers go after their larvae in the holes and make them much bigger.
We also have tons of those mud tunnels from mud daubers on the house and the smaller birds love pecking into those. I guess everybody has to eat......

[Float On]

Aren't they fun. So big. We have two pair that hang out in our yard and the woods around our house. See them almost daily. We also have at the feeders on a regular basis the Red bellied, Red headed, Hairy, Downy, Flickers, and the Yellow Bellied Sad Sucker that visits in the winter. Woodpeckers are my favorite. We had a Downy crash into a window once that was stunned. My youngest was 5 at the time and wore him around on his shirt until it felt good enough to fly away.

[CathyA]

Aren't they fun. So big. We have two pair that hang out in our yard and the woods around our house. See them almost daily. We also have at the feeders on a regular basis the Red bellied, Red headed, Hairy, Downy, Flickers, and the Yellow Bellied Sad Sucker that visits in the winter. Woodpeckers are my favorite. We had a Downy crash into a window once that was stunned. My youngest was 5 at the time and wore him around on his shirt until it felt good enough to fly away.

That's cute Float On.....about your DS wearing the Downy on his shirt until it could fly away!
Sometimes, when birds would hit my window and be stunned on the ground, I would put a chickenwire fence around them until they could fly.

Unfortunately, some that hit my windows didn't survive. But it did give me the chance to see some fairly uncommon birds up close......like a cuckoo, a woodcock and an oven bird.