Do you see it? I hear it. Where is it? Ah, there it is.
Dryocopus Pileatus....dryo from the latin for tree kopis meaning dagger...and pileatus- capped. Status: threatened due to destruction of old growth forest....
Older and decayed trees are important to them, they do not have to expend as much energy to excavate and locate carpenter ants and beetle larvae, both of which make up the bulk of their diet.
They are large and impressive birds to observe. They are now considered an indicator species, for areas classified as old growth forest.
So, it is two thousand and ten now...(yes I still say two thousand...I know, I am sooo not with it). Old habits are hard to break, new habits are hard to make.
It has been very cold. Single digit temps, the "how low did it go" thermometer is telling the story. I relish the days when the sun shines in the morning. Find a sunny corner with wheel or spindle and soak up the sunshine.
Hard to say which I enjoy more, the warmth or the light. They are one and the same.
10 comments:
It's very cold here too Cyndy...-25 Celcius with the wind chill. I have a little suet feeder for the birds. I only see my two blue jays and they usually go for the peanuts that I leave for the squirrels. They are very entertaining to watch aren't they :))
Lucky you having a Pileated Woodpecker for a neighbor. I have house sparrows, house sparrows and yes some house sparrows. I am not really complaining becasue without them the garden would seem awfully quiet. It is just that I would love it if Woody Woodpecker would come visit.
The forests here are growing old enough - but certainly not even 100 hundred years old, much less old growth - to support Pileateds. I see them fairly regularly, and I thrill at every sighting.
I love it when I see a Pileated Woodpecker!! We have a few pairs near us, and often when I go running in the winter they'll call or otherwise make themselves noticeable. I love their wild-sounding call.
Great pictures! I've had no success photographing them!
Sue
Love the woodpecker, I don't think we have any birds that have a similar habit here in australia. Beautiful.
Enjoy the sunshine (when you get it), here on the other hand its getting hot and its sunny till about 9pm!!!
Years ago I saw one down here but then never saw it again. Just last month I saw another down here. I was able to get some pictures before he/she flew away. However I now recognize their call and hear them in the woods.
Enjoy whatever warmth you can get from the sun because it is going to get colder from what I hear.
Oh! You have piliated woodpeckers! Lucky you. Looks like a female. We used to have them at our old place in North Carolina. I just love their jungle monkey call. We haven't seen any here, but we keep looking.
My goodness...he's a big guy! Is he about 10-12" long?
We had a rib roast for Christmas dinner. Before cooking I cut off the fat for suet and we've been putting it out for the birds. There are about 3 Downy Woodpeckers who have been enjoying that treat. They're a lot smaller than your guy...only about 5".
Sadly the dastardly work of the emerald ash borer has been a boon to the woodpecker population around here.
We have plenty of them, old and dying trees and piliated. Noisy buggers aren't they?
We also have a pileated woodpecker, in our backyard. They're so reclusive, we've only seen them on two occasions, and the last one... wow. I blogged about it (http://blog.bolandbol.com/2009/04/21/garden-work/).
I love your blog, the phenology. And also the gorgeous pottery!
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