Suburban pileated woodpecker

Several times in the last couple years, Howie's seen pileated woodpeckers in a half-dead maple tree across the street from our house. Until today, I'd never seen them, though. Oh, the irony of my getting a picture the first time I got to see one in our neighborhood!

This picture doesn't do it justice at all, but for being taken through a window and from a distance of maybe 20 yards, it's not too bad. We think this one is a juvenile, so we assume they nest somewhere nearby. What huge, gorgeous birds they are.

Here's the tree he was in:

Good shot. I see them every day and have yet to get a good picture of one. And I try

trois

Yep, they can be tough to photograph. We hear them a lot but rarely see them. Lucky you!

Glad you got to take a photo. They can be elusive. Thus far this year, I have seen them fly over, at 40 mph, hear them constantly in the woods behind us, but no photo opportunities. I was prepared for a third year in a row (in Spring) for their daily visit to my car(s) but nothing yet this year. It looks like your Pileated could be a female, also.

Aren't they something?

We had some behind the townhouses where we rented before buying our house. I tried to get photos, but it was like you said. I'd get within 100 yards if I was lucky, but then they'd fly deeper into the woods. We'd hear them all the time: Aaaaaiiii-ak-ak-ak-ak-ak!

I was so shocked to see one right on a little suburban street like this. When Howie saw one a couple years ago, we thought it was a fluke. But then he saw this one a couple times this spring before I got to see it today.

Hey, guys! Today I watched and noticed she didn't seem phased as cars drove by beneath her, so I waited until a car was beneath the tree and made my move, sneaking quickly out the front door of our house. Then I slowly advanced...And I was able to get three more shots of her! I got as close as the edge of the street before she spooked and flew away. She came back later, though (of course, I was inside by then.).

Shot 1:

Shot 2:

So ugly they're beautiful. When you don't see something very often, you wonder how close to extinction they are. I'm glad to see these are still around.

Howie said the one he saw a couple years ago was almost double this one's size. It makes us wonder how old this one is and where the nest is.

There are still very many here but when you see them, they are flying by. All day long we hear the hammering, and they have destroyed two power line poles by our house. I will take a pix of one in the morning.
The power company gave the worthless poles to me as it saves them money from hauling them off. I am making a birdhouse out of one section.

That's neat. Recycling. Maybe a totem? Laugh!

That has been considered.

lol

Wow you got pretty close! I think your girl might be a boy...the lower face stripe looks red. The female has a black stripe

He let me get even closer today! I was about 20' from the tree, barefooted and still in my jammies and bathrobe, hair all askew. Lovely, really, such a statement to the neighborhood and in hope of the money shot. ;) I have yet to get said shot, but I'm getting closer!

He finally got a little spooked and flew across to my home's side of the street. I heard him calling his aiii-ak-ak-ak-ak laugh out of a tree, but couldn't see him. Suddenly, he flew down to this stump. He must have been thinking, "uh, oh...sheesh, this is a really short tree...."

This message was edited May 4, 2006 11:49 AM

He worked his way around to the back of the stump and peeked over the top at me. Unfortunately, I didn't get a shot of that. Then, he flew up into a nearby tree. This shot isn't good, but it shows the colors on the undersides of his wings.

More great photos. Definitely a male. But, I have had a male and female in the yard at the same time. Maybe you will get lucky. BTW, if Howie saw one that was twice as big maybe it was the Ivory Billed Woodpecker (lol). This one looks pretty big to me ....

If his behavior is similar to my experience(s), he should come around for several more weeks.

This is a 14 inch diameter section of a power pole that the Pileated worked over. Now, all the new poles have a steel mesh over the top half of the pole.

I sawed off this section from the piece shown above and will soon have it hung for bluebird nesting. Several broods of bluebirds have been raised near here in woodpecker pecked holes. This thing weighs over 40 pounds, otherwise it would already be up someplace.

I love the stump shot. That is contest material!

Trois, only a gardener would compliment you on the holes in your pole! Neat nesters!

It is so much easier to let the birds make the holes.

GW--great pics! so fun to have a pileated come to visit.

For the past two years (but not this spring), we have had a pileated couple who came regularly up to my plastic suet feeder stuck on my office window right here where I'm typing.

They would come at 7:30 a.m. and 1:30 in the afternoon for a snack and a visit. But now they are gone. We do have a juvenile or two coming around, but they stay on the maple tree with the big suet feeder mostly.

Try out a suet feeder (with a nutty fruity recipe) in your garden. They will love it.

That was so funny last year when linthicum showed pics of the Pileateds looking at themselves in the rear view mirror of his car. What a riot!

Good luck and what else is visiting your garden? Any other pics?

I have lots of pictures, just little time. We are walking in the American Heart Association Heart Walk tonight and have to head out. We did more work in the yard today...Hope the 3-mile walk energizes me. LOL!

Great pictures! The ones here are HUGE and I swear it is like they laugh at you when you try to take their picture! We get them close on stumps and snags and they USED to peck the house after the carpenter bee larva, left holes the size of a mans fist in the side of our log home, not cool! I however never was able to catch one with the camera and when I would go out to chase them off the house they would fly over to a tree and just laugh and laugh, just like woody woodpecker! I think they are just beautiful though!!!

I am very glad our house is brick and that our shutters hold no special interest to them!

Great Pics. Here is a picture of the ones that come to our yard almost daily. Last year they brought their babies in... what great visitors.

Viv

here is a pic of the young ones last year

Viv

Cool, Viv! Thanks for posting your shots. We have a bunch of outdated, cheap peanut butter I ought to put on a hanging feeder with some seed.

Peanut butter, dried fruit, cornmeal, and breadcrumbs, mixed with a block of suet feeder. all chopped up. They love it.
Viv

Great! I have all of that except the suet cake.