well, Zyperiris, heheh I think I was definitely "wearing my brains" on backwards; I can't believe I missed out on that important descriptor-- prehistoric and wild and rough! I never thought of a bird being wild and rough except for a parrot that doesn't get enough attention from its owner, lol! So that descriptor should have caught my eye. I think I just saw the first 2 responses and jumped to the gun with mine, ridiculous me! Anyway, I am hoping one of these days we'll be able to enjoy a photo of your Pileated woodpeckers and your wood beaver! But again, it's so difficult to catch a real-live photo of wildlife and who cares about the photo compared to just the joy of seeing the real thing in person! You must have some really tall massive trees on your property. I would imagine one would need those kinds of trees to attract those woodpeckers. Keep us updated when you! get the chance to see these amazing birds! am crossing my fingers you'll get to see one soon, soon, soon!

Claysmom, perhaps your son would be interested in making his property a Certified Wildlife Habitat? This is easier than most people might think. You just need to provide food, shelter and water for various types of animals. You can Google it and read all about the requirements online, and even print out an application for the official certification. Nicki's city yard is certified, so even those without rural property can qualify. I encourage everyone who is interested to check it out. (If I can managed to stay on the computer long enough, I'll see if I can find the link, but I'm having some unanticipated difficulties from my foot surgery, and won't be here very long.) Glad you guys enjoyed seeing this old post pop up again. I do love these birds, and am happy it was of interest to you. Marcia

Certainly must be exciting. We've seen them a handful of times in various places in PA, but mostly in deep woods and forests in the northern tier counties. We've never seen a pair, though, only solitary birds. It would be really something if they established a nest on your property, wouldn't it. I've never heard a pileated's call, in fact I thought they were more or less mute, with their drumming being their main mode of territorial communication. So your observation is illuminating to me. We've found that we could get real close to these birds during several of our encounters with them. I can see how their movements would appear agitated, but comparing them with observations of other woodpecker species, I think their jerky and erratic movements, especially when foraging on tree trunks, are pretty characteristic of woodpeckers in general. Somehow I have always had the impression that woodpeckers are among the dimwits of the bird world. I can't explain why this seems so to me, exactly, but maybe it's because they seem so oblivious to my presence even when I have stood very near to them. I also have this notion that any creature that finds its sustenance by beating its head against oak and other hardwoods all day must have evolved in conjunction with a trend toward a minimal number of brain cells. I don't mean to diminish your admiration for the pileated by my less flattering observations - they just arose due to my questionable sense of humor. In fact, a pileated siting is a breathtaking occurence, in my opinion. There's something so uncanny in their physical appearance and bearing, and I always find myself wondering "How can this fantastic creature" - they do bring pteridactyls to mind, don't they? - "be inhabiting the twentieth millenium instead of prehistory?" Hope you see 'em again. By the way, what kind of habitat is around your property? Do you have a lot of old established trees or extensive woodlands? These are the only habitats in which I've ever seen them, and my sitings have always occurred well north of Bucks County. cranebill

Yes, bird feeders are a big attraction to bears and they will get more and more invasive. You essentially can feed the wildlife and have all the wildlife around or stop feeding them and get rid of them eventually. You cannot pick and choose which ones you want around unless you want to kill the bears. When the bears don't get enough food from your feeders they'll start tearing into other things and they'll get more and more bold. If you have garbage cans out, they'll be ripped open. Leave groceries in the car and it'll likely be opened. And if they're in a shed or garage, don't be surprised if eventually they try getting in there. Bears have also been known to become so desperate for food they actually go into houses and grocery stores. Once they have found a source of food and they'll keep coming back. Unless you want to kill the bear you need to dissuade it from coming around. As long as there's food, they'll keep coming back regularly. This has other impacts too. They probably aren't going to get the nutrition they need just from the bird food - it's not formulated for bears and they won't forage as much for natural foods. Worse yet it starts to essentially tame the bears and that's not good. The impact from that can be quite dangerous to people and animals, including their own cubs. We talked about this in the thread about the bear place taming bears so I won't duplicate it here. Suffice to say that it's cute to hand feed wild animals and put ribbons on them but that doesn't domesticate them like a dog or cat. As for woodpeckers, here they make perfectly round holes. I'd go with the wrap with plastic and see if that works. Could be a smell in it that is attracting them. Maybe try hanging some mothballs or wipe it with ammonia, vinegar or bleach. Not sure if that would help or not. Test it though for any affect to the container.