pair of pileated woodpeckers
8 years ago
was holding my phone thru the blinds so not the best pic but aren't they fun?
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Well, I FINALLY Got It!
Comments (19)I still get excited about getting a good look at any kind of woodpecker, but your photo is great! I have never gotten a picture of any of my woodpeckers. We only rarely see the Pileated (it's a big favorite for me, too!!), but our Red-bellied and Downy Woodpeckers call all day long, every day in the Black Gum Swamp. We also get Red-headed Woodpeckers, Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers and Northern Flickers in there. Our very oldest, tallest Slash Pine is dying and I guess it will become a popular tree with the woodpeckers. It was struck by lightning at least twice since we moved to the property in 1997! Since we dug a new pond near our house we get to see a Belted Kingfisher and various enormous herons and egrets pretty often. Let's see, I guess my butterfly-related comment is that I wonder if there are any tricks to getting Red Admirals. Any suggestions on where I should plant my False Nettle seed? I already planted a lot in wet soil along the new pond where it's still bare. This forum is so tempting once spring comes along... but I need to go outside!...See MoreOsprey
Comments (14)The osprey nest is surprisingly low - about 25 feet off the ground - so I was able to get some reasonable shots. Much higher than that would have made it very difficult since I don't climb well :) I will be going back later this week to see if I can get some more pictures. While the parents were out, I heard some activity in the nest so I suspect there's at least one little one in there. The people at the DQ where I set up my equipment were very tolerant and didn't seem to care if I stayed all day "looking at some nest." Some of the patrons seemed to think they were under surveillance and I got some very odd looks. Others knew exactly what I was doing and watched with me. It was a fun day, even if I came home with my inevitable red-head sunburn. Pat - I'll check out that site. Thanks. Maureen...See Morewinged visitors
Comments (11)Karalynn, believe it or not, both of these pileateds appear to be females. It's a bit hard to tell in the picture, but adult males have a red crest that comes all the way forward to their beaks, where the female's red stops in the center of the head, leaving a black area from just behind the eye forward to the beak. Now I can't see that for SURE in this photo, but I can see one other field mark...the stripe that runs from the corner of the mouth back to the neck is black in the females and red for a portion of the way in the males. Both of these birds appear to have black cheek stripes, so I believe they are females. They could be young female nestmates who haven't branched out into their own territory yet. I have often seen whole families of pileateds foraging together. Next time you see them, see if you can tell whether the red on the crest of either one extends all the way forward to the beak. You are so lucky to be enjoying the bluebirds up close and personal (you and Maureen!!). I have seen them many times in Florida, but always in rural areas with pastures or large meadows nearby. They are year round residents in Florida which need to be encouraged as much as possible. Invasive exotic birds like house sparrows and starlings throw them OUT of their nests and take over. They took a really bad hit from them for many years and were on the decline drastically. Loss of open habitat has hurt them too, but they WILL nest in urban areas when they find suitable food sources. (They use nestboxes, for those who don't know, and putting them out, plus planting lots of fruiting trees and shrubs can draw them in.) Marcia...See MorePileated woodpeckers
Comments (21)i am fairly new to birdwatching, but found it goes hand in hand with my obsessive gardening. i have a couple of simple suet feeders attached to a small oak tree about fifteen feet from my patio window and to date, i have a downy woodpecker,a pair of northern flickers and a pair of pileated woodpeckers. there is a rotting telephone pole along the road directly in front of my patio which i can see perfectly from my chair with binoculars. i see them all on it at some point during any given day. i think the flickers are nesting in there. i was sitting out having my morning coffee a few weeks ago when this huge black bird came to my suet feeder. at first i thought it was a pesky crow,and i was about to chase it off, but then i saw the white and red head and sat back down. i couldn't believe it;(i nearly soiled myself lol) right in front of me! now i see them frequently- they love suet. you cannot miss them if you use your ears; they have the loudest cackle around....See More- 8 years ago
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