Pileated woodpeckers

15 years ago

I've had trouble getting very good shots of these guys. Today these two were in one of the crabapple trees for a few minutes and I was able to get a few shots through the window. I know if I had gone outside, they would have gone away immediately.

Is anyone else surprised to see two males together? I usually only see one at a time and the occasional times I see two it's a male and a female.

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Comments (11)

sowngrow (8a) G
15 years ago
OMG-Beautiful! I've never seen one, much less two at a time. What a super photo!
judyg53
15 years ago
Wonderful photo!! I've never seen two males together either. I normally just have one male & one female. Great photo.
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we don't get the pileated woodpeckers here but when i lived down south i saw them eating most often on the suet logs. most were homemade small diameter logs or thick branches cut maybe 1 foot to 2 foot long with holes drilled in them and stuffed with peanut butter suet mix and hung up out in the yard. maybe it seemed more natural to them?
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Hitching down a tree trunk is common for woodpeckers. They usually do that to move short distances downward, especially while foraging. However, if the distance is great, say the bird wants to move from the top of the tree to the base of the trunk, it will usually fly down. However, in flight, woodpeckers are more vulnerable to predators, by remaining on the tree trunk and hitching down, they can easily duck around the other side of the tree to avoid a predator. BN
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Thanks konrad, I do have Photo Bucket, but haven't been to their site for awhile. Catherinet, when I first saw him land on the tree stump, I ran for my camera thinking for sure he would be gone by the time I got out the door to take pics, but he was still there. I know he had to see me taking pictures. He was only 15-18 feet from where I was standing on my front porch....just on the other side of our driveway. I got 42 pictures.....2 were videos of him pecking away at that tree stump. I was so happy that I saw him that close because I had seen him flying a few times and he always landed in a tree across the street. Then he would go on the backside of the tree where I couldn't see him.
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Awesome! We've only seen them a couple times and they were just passing through. They are quite impressive, aren't they?
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kendra2003
15 years ago
That is such a gorgeous picture. I can't believe you got such a perfect shot through a window. I love the way the light hits on the Pileated's crest, and the berries.
chickadeemelrose
15 years ago
Ditto!
harryshoe zone6 eastern Pennsylvania
15 years ago
Beautiful picture. Although I have seen Pileated Woodpeckers when I hike or camp nearby, I have not yet lured one into my yard. I am so envious!
bandjzmom
15 years ago
Gorgeous shot prairie!!! Wow. We have some Pileateds that hang in the woods around our house. When I have seen more than one, it has always been a male and a female. Maybe this is a territory issue you've captured? Do the young have site affinity? Could one of the males be an offspring of the other?
georgia_kate
15 years ago
great pic! i just saw one on saturday and tried so hardto get a decent shot, but those guys just move around so much! this is only the second time i have seen one. the first time there were three of them, but i have no idea whether they were male or female.
wailakadee
15 years ago
that would win awards, that photo! I have seen pileated a few times in the Seattle area, most recently @ the edge of Puget Sound (Dumas Bay, Federal Way).
chickadeemelrose
15 years ago
I agree, you should try sending that photo in to NATURE magazine, or NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION'S magazine, or even AUDUBON. So many people would love to see it, as we have here.
prairie_love
Original Author
15 years ago
Thank you all for the nice comments! I've been working on the photography, so it's nice to hear compliments.

bandjzmom - I don't know if it's a territory issue or not. I am certain that we have nesting pileateds in our area as I see them all year long (but have yet to find a nest, darn it). So perhaps this is one of last year's young trying to find his place in the world. I just don't know.

Thanks again!
jeanner
15 years ago
I have had two males and a female this winter too. They are probably Dad and son - nesting will start soon and Dad will chase him off. Nice shot!

Pileated woodpeckers

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sowngrow (8a) G

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Pileated woodpeckers

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