Caught this fellow on film over the weekend hammering away at a dying pine tree in my backyard. Everyone in my house has been sick for days, so it took a tremendous burst of energy for me to stir from the couch just to see him — to say nothing of actually taking out the camera and working it from my porch.
My son tells me it’s a male downy woodpecker, but it looked a little large and lacking spots on his wings to be a downy. Perhaps it was the related hairy woodpecker, which also has the red spot on its head. At any rate, this was one of the trees that suffered extensive damage in the Dec. 1 storm. It had already been weakened by the carpenter ants that had begun to hollow it out.
If this bird gets his way, the tree will become his home. Then when I have to take it down, he’ll have to find a new abode — just like so many spotted owls in Oregon. Will that get me in trouble with the DEP?
6 responses so far ↓
1 Vance Cannon // Jan 31, 2007 at 11:39 am
That’s a pileated woodpecker, Terry. He’s a beaut!
2 Marshall Miles // Jan 31, 2007 at 1:30 pm
Woodpeckers are noisy, they don’t pay taxes, and they destroy trees that might, someday make paper.
But, they are pretty cool to watch..especialy on Terry’s property!
Marshall
3 fred // Feb 1, 2007 at 7:14 am
you should give him a name and a backstory.
4 Woods Sinclair // Feb 1, 2007 at 3:12 pm
Terry,
With the great Ivory Bill fervor in Arkansas & Florida, wouldn’t it be fine–alas, you have a magnificent (probably female) Pileated Woodpecker hacking at your tree, probably for carpenter ants. Better get your burning barrel fired up!
Wds
5 Terry // Feb 2, 2007 at 2:40 pm
Thank you, Woods and Vance, for the info.
It took two former English teachers (one retired and one now a librarian) to ID the mysterious bird and set the record straight for this former English teacher (now a writer).
Woods, do the females also have the bright red crest on their heads?
6 Woods Sinclair // Feb 12, 2007 at 12:45 pm
Terry, yes, but the female’s red crest is a bit less extensive.
Wds
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