Pileated woodpeckers | wordsfromanneli

February 11, 2023
by wordsfromanneli 45 Comments

A New Bird

About 100 ft. from my house stands a maple that has seen better days. The woodpeckers peck holes into the trunk, and it’s a wonder that the tree hasn’t lost more limbs in the recent windstorms.

Still, I love to see the woodpeckers, and I always have my camera handy for bird sightings. When I spotted this one on the maple this morning, I grabbed the camera and rushed out onto the deck to snap a photo. I closed the sliding door quietly.

“Please don’t fly away until I get a picture,” I whispered.

He didn’t fly away, so I snapped some more. Still he didn’t fly.

“This is great,” I thought. The squirrels were chattering noisily just then, and I assumed that the woodpecker hadn’t heard me tiptoeing out onto the deck.

But then I thought, “That’s strange. He should have flown by now. Or at least pecked at the bark. But he’s just sitting there. Maybe he’s sick.”

I brought the camera in and uploaded the photos onto the laptop. Then I could see the bird more clearly. I wasn’t sure what kind it was. Maybe not a pileated woodpecker, after all. He seemed to have morphed into something else.

A broken off branch surrounded by the maple’s tears?

September 7, 2022
by wordsfromanneli 24 Comments

Haiku is for the Birds

Elusive dinner

Wriggles deeper in the stump,

Woodpecker persists.

May 8, 2022
by wordsfromanneli 27 Comments

A Red Cap

If you have any tree stumps on your property, you might want to think twice before getting them removed. They are the equivalent of a gourmet restaurant for a woodpecker. Here is Dryocopus pileatus (the pileated woodpecker) working for his meal. Pileatus means capped and refers to his red cap.

As the wood decays, all sorts of worms and bugs feed off it, and in turn they become food for some birds. This pileated woodpecker is chipping into the bark of the stump and must be finding something good to eat. See his tongue sticking out, slurping up the appetizers?

Now he’s discovered a crack where the wood has split. This is typically a good place to look for bugs, as the rainwater has dripped into the split and rotted the wood, making it ideal for the bugs that the woodpecker is looking for.

Notice how the pileated woodpecker is using his tail for balance as he hammers away at the stump looking for his supper.

In the video below, I had some trouble holding the camera still, but halfway through, I finally got it settled. Have a look at Woody pecking for his dinner.

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July 3, 2021
by wordsfromanneli 42 Comments

Wilma and Woody

Hi, I’m Woody. Not like Woody Woodpecker. Woody, like short for Woodrow.

Have you heard the news? There’s a big food fest at Anneli’s.

This old stump has been here at least twenty years. I bet there are some well-established bugs inside.

Oof! Wa-a-a-ay inside.

Okay. There’s got to be an easier way.

Maybe I’ll check on Wilma and see if she’s found anything that’s easier to get to.

Woodrow, Woodrow,

Checks the wood growth,

Looking for some bugs.

Sticks his beak in,

Bugs he’s findin’,

Spears them and he tugs.

They’re elusive,

Not conducive,

To a snacky lunch.

Wilma beckons,

Food, he reckons,

Least that is his hunch.

Tried the stump here,

Bugs have no fear,

He can’t reach that far.

Wilma eats well,

That he can tell,

Finds more food by far.

Woody sweet talks,

Wilma just gawks,

Gives up her good spot.

This is great stuff,

Searching’s not tough,

Wilma, thanks a lot.

*****

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June 11, 2021
by wordsfromanneli 42 Comments

Wilma the Pileated Woodpecker

Wilma is a pileated woodpecker. She doesn’t have the red slash that the males have under their cheek. Wilma is a juvenile. Her red topknot is not yet fully developed.

She is hungry for insects, her main food.

“Oh, look! There’s Anneli’s garden,” says Wilma. “She’s always complaining about the bugs in it. I should check it out.”