I rarely, as in almost never, see Pileated Woodpeckers in my yard or even around my yard any more. Several years ago, before all the houses were built in the area and when there were still plenty of dead trees standing in the woods behind our house, I used to see more of them. But now there are houses everywhere and fewer trees and all of the dead trees have been removed. And the Pileateds seldom visit any more.
I still hear them calling occasionally in the neighborhood, particularly in the direction of Spring Creek to the south. Usually they are quite some distance away but those voices do resonate!
Today, while I was sitting in my backyard, I heard one of the big woodpeckers - biggest in North America, assuming the Ivory-billed really is extinct - calling down toward the creek. A few minutes passed, and then I heard him a lot closer. A few more minutes passed, and my peripheral vision picked up a large bird flying into the old magnolia tree in my backyard. I turned to look. The bird was mostly hidden by the leathery leaves of the tree, but there was no doubt - it was the Pileated!
If there had been any doubt, it would have been removed a moment later when the bird loudly announced his presence.
There must have been something of interest in the tree, because he spent several minutes - maybe ten - going up and down the trunk and poking at the bark. Then, he flew again, this time to one of my neighbor's big pine trees. Wonderful bird! Having him in my yard even for a few minutes made my day.
Incidentally, the mispronunciation of this bird's name by people who should know better always bugs me, and it seems to be becoming more common, so I guess I can prepare to be permanently bugged. The correct pronunciation (following the standard rules of English pronunciation) is "pile-e-ated" - long "i" in the first syllable. You can look it up. But very often you will hear it pronounced "pill-e-ated." Well, as Mrs. Rubinstein taught me long, long ago, that is just wrong! I'm sure the bird would be offended to hear its name mispronounced, so don't be guilty of it.
Showing posts with label Pileated Woodpecker. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pileated Woodpecker. Show all posts
Monday, October 7, 2013
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
A change in the weather
Up early today for my morning walk, I was delighted to discover that there had been a change in the weather overnight. No rain - that would have been too much to hope for - but cool, pleasant, autumn-like temperatures had arrived. The temperature was 58 degrees F, territory that we hadn't been in since early spring, as we set off down the street, and the thirty minute walk barely even raised a sweat!
The lower temperatures were a great relief to morning walkers but think what a relief they must be also to birds and other wildlife that have suffered through this long, long, hot, hot summer. Yes, it would have been nice if the cooler weather had been accompanied by some rain, but I won't look a gift weatherman in the mouth.
Birds were mostly quiet during today's walk, but I did hear one voice in the neighborhood that I don't hear every day. It was a very loud voice, the ringing call of our largest woodpecker, the Pileated Woodpecker.
These big, crow-sized birds are permanent residents here and their population seems to be stable, but they are so stealthy and secretive that they are seldom seen. Their presence is more often known by the sound of that distinctive call. It may well be that their secretive nature is part of the reason for their success and why they haven't gone the way of the even bigger Ivory-billed Woodpecker which seems to be most likely extinct on the North American continent.
For all its secretiveness, the Pileated is fairly tolerant of human activity and, if left unmolested, will live quite successfully in parks frequented by humans or even in suburban neighborhoods like mine. My neighborhood features the kind of habitat that the birds like, with its mixed conifer and hardwood forest (what there is left of it). Pileateds are pretty adaptable, apparently, and will utilize a wide variety of species of trees. They have even been photographed visiting backyard bird feeders, although, to my knowledge, I've never had one visit any of my feeders.
One consequence of our long drought is a lot of dead trees and this should be a boon to birds like the Pileated Woodpecker. They normally nest in a dead tree, excavating a large cavity in it. They and all the other woodpeckers will have plenty to choose from next spring.
The lower temperatures were a great relief to morning walkers but think what a relief they must be also to birds and other wildlife that have suffered through this long, long, hot, hot summer. Yes, it would have been nice if the cooler weather had been accompanied by some rain, but I won't look a gift weatherman in the mouth.
Birds were mostly quiet during today's walk, but I did hear one voice in the neighborhood that I don't hear every day. It was a very loud voice, the ringing call of our largest woodpecker, the Pileated Woodpecker.
These big, crow-sized birds are permanent residents here and their population seems to be stable, but they are so stealthy and secretive that they are seldom seen. Their presence is more often known by the sound of that distinctive call. It may well be that their secretive nature is part of the reason for their success and why they haven't gone the way of the even bigger Ivory-billed Woodpecker which seems to be most likely extinct on the North American continent.
For all its secretiveness, the Pileated is fairly tolerant of human activity and, if left unmolested, will live quite successfully in parks frequented by humans or even in suburban neighborhoods like mine. My neighborhood features the kind of habitat that the birds like, with its mixed conifer and hardwood forest (what there is left of it). Pileateds are pretty adaptable, apparently, and will utilize a wide variety of species of trees. They have even been photographed visiting backyard bird feeders, although, to my knowledge, I've never had one visit any of my feeders.
One consequence of our long drought is a lot of dead trees and this should be a boon to birds like the Pileated Woodpecker. They normally nest in a dead tree, excavating a large cavity in it. They and all the other woodpeckers will have plenty to choose from next spring.
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