A couple of days ago, as I was walking past a stand of trees at the park,
I heard a rather loud and insistent hammering sound.
“Woodpecker!” I told myself and slowed down as I quietly followed the sound.
I peeked through some branches and there he was:
a male pileated woodpecker searching the tree bark for insects.
I don’t think that I have ever been this close to one before.
While he was busy searching for food I was able to take a few quick photographs.
He did keep an eye on me the entire time though.
Moments later he looked around and then took off.
But I could hear him hammer and drill away clear across the park as I walked on.
What a surprise and special treat to get this close without trying.
🙂
in cahoots with muddy boots 
Wonderful captures! Fascinating bird.
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Fascinating is right, Cindy! We used to get a pair of them visit our suet feeders but now we mostly just hear them up in the trees. Thanks for always reading my blog! 😊
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He’s gorgeous! When our kids lived in PDX a woodpecker family lived in a tree in their front yard. It was quite loud, especially in the spring when they had babies. Have a great weekend, Sabine!
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They do get noisy, those woodpeckers! We have some that hammer away at our shake roof during mating season. The sound reverberates through the entire house! Have a nice weekend too, Missy!
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Gr8 pix of my favorite woodpecker!
U really do have a remarkable rapport with birds. While the feeder birds may be somewhat habituated, shy birds elsewhere (like eagles and pileateds) stay calm when U approach.
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Thank you Mel! I do love these kinds of encounters and try not to be too intrusive on their home turf. 😊
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I’ve never seen this type of woodpecker before Sabine and what great pictures to get a good look at the real-life “Woody the Woodpecker”. They sure are striking looking aren’t they? You were lucky to see this woodpecker so close-up!
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Linda, keep your ears and eyes open on your walks through the woods! You might just spot one of them some day. Their call reminds me a bit of the flicker call. We have them in the forest behind us as well, but they don’t visit the suet feeder as often as they used to.
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Sabine – when I listened to the birding seminar, that flicker’s call had me asking the narrator what type of bird it was when it was time for questions. So I just went by what she said. I wonder if a Pileated Woodpecker is right under my nose and I don’t know it? I hope to see one some day at any rate.
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You’ll eventually see a pileated woodpecker, Linda! I hear them far more often than I see them. And once you learn to identify their call you’ll never mistake them for another woodpecker.
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I just listened to the call and that sounds more like the noise I hear that I thought sounded tropical, like monkeys in a jungle. I think that noise is this woodpecker and not a flicker. The Red-Bellied Woodpecker is not as long a call but I do recognize that call. I never see who belongs to the call, no more than I see the bullfrog I hear every day in the Summer months.
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It’s just a matter of time before you see the pileated woodpecker!
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I hope so – my eyes will be peeled looking for it!
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He looks huge! Ours have a red chest. Birds are odd little things
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He is huge! 17 inches tall! And yes, birds are odd and interesting, which is probably why I love watching them.
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? Wow! He could eat ours 😉 They are fascinating but I also find them a bit creepy. (I’ve watched the Birds to young I think. And than there’s cassowaries … I’ll stick with peacocks 😉 )
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Now cassowaries are scary! The Birds is a great movie! When we lived in
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Oops! Hit the wrong button! When we lived in California our favorite beach was in Bodega Bay where The Birds was filmed. I think of it every time I drive through. 🙂
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I’m still uncomfortable watching that movie. It must be a beautiful place but I’m not sure if I’d go …
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I have a theory that Woodpeckers will first check to see If anyone is home?
They rap a few times on a dead tree to seeIf there are any bugs? The rapping will make them move about,creating noise that the sharp eared Woodpecker can hear! He hears that and says Ha…….someones home,I’ll just mark an X and drill here!
Great shots Sabine!
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Thanks Wayne! I agree with your theory as to the rapping on dead trees to check for insects. Woodpeckers are remarkable birds and I love watching them do their thing.
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seems plausible to me.
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