An old friend came to visit, she is the largest breed (Pileated) woodpecker in N America

[Omaha Steve]

Last edited Sat Mar 5, 2016, 09:37 AM - Edit history (1)

Taken just moments ago. Woody the Woodpecker was based on a piliated.

Info on piliateds here: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Pileated_Woodpecker/id


On the large yellow feeder is a red bellied woodpecker. Info: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-bellied_Woodpecker/id

[djean111]

1. Thank you! Fantastically beautiful bird and picture!

Thank you for sharing.

[wendylaroux]

2. Oh! pretty bird!

thank you!

[old guy]

3. Great!

Never tire of seeing those birds.

[femmocrat]

4. How beautiful!

I have only seen one, long time ago. They are not common here. We do get ladder-backed and downy woodpeckers though.

[Laffy Kat]

5. So cool.

Who doesn't love woodpeckers. Thanks for posting.

[ALBliberal]

6. Thrilling!

[malaise]

7. How lovely

Thanks Omaha Steve

[Skittles]

8. WOW!!

that is so freaking cool!

[longship]

9. We're in the midst of a national forest here.

So I've seen pileateds on occasion, not recently. They are shy, apparently.

They are magnificent looking birds. Big wing span! You don't want them to be pecking on your house in the AM -- kind of a shocking loud awakening.

[jonno99]

11. Yep - otoh, it seems they don't like vinyl siding...

[maxsolomon]

10. I thought the smaller one was a Flicker?

Ours have a black patch on their necks.

Pileateds are massive - I haven't seen one in decades.

There was once a larger species: the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker. But, you know, humans.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivory-billed_woodpecker

[countryjake]

12. Flickers, both red-shafted & yellow shafted, have polka-dotted bellies

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Flicker/id

[Omaha Steve]

14. A comparison

Last edited Sat Mar 5, 2016, 12:18 AM - Edit history (1)

One of our Flickers taken during the Christmas Eve snow storm.




A Red Belly on the 12-28-15 snow storm with wheat bread in it's mouth.

[lostnfound]

13. Oh my god you are BLESSED.

I saw one of those 3 years ago. So beautiful and so rare.

[laureloak]

15. What flavor of suet?

They come into my yard but never to the suet.

[yortsed snacilbuper]

17. try royal wing from tractor supply

link
http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/royal-wing-woodpecker-suet-9-1-2-oz

[XemaSab]

24. Tractor Supply hooks it up

Best bird seed selection I've ever seen at a very reasonable price.

[BrklynLiberal]

16. Fantastic pics!

It is wonderful to have such wonderful "neighbors"

[dwrjr]

18. Lucky!

I was lucky to see one back in 1976, deep in old woods in Airlie, Oregon. I heard it first, and couldn't believe my ears! How could a woodpecker be that loud! I felt like I had been transported back to a prehistoric time and expected to see dinosaurs. Oh, wait, birds are dinosaurs 😆

[Archae]

19. I saw one at my Mom's place in northern Wisconsin a few years ago.

I thought it was a crow, with that big wingspan.

It landed on a tree.

Then I saw it's head, and knew it was a woodpecker, was that ever a treat!

[Hortensis]

25. Pileated noise from "prehistoric time," yes! Or call of the jungle.

The southeast and southwest wooded slopes of our hill belong to a pair of pileateds. They are shy and never come to our feeders, but we certainly know they're there from their unmistakable calls. I was walking in the woods once during breeding season, and one of them monitored me the whole time, hopping from tree to tree directly overhead and screeching reports every 20 feet or so to his mate, who would screech back acknowledgement. Funny as heck, but some neighbor must have wondered what on earth was going on up there.

We get these lovely things at our feeders a lot, and our metal downspouts are definitely the surface of choice for showing off their pecking skills during mating season.


Delightful thread, Steve. Thanks.

[MissB]

20. Really great photos!

We see one maybe once or twice a year. I watched one last weekend when I was out in the yard. They seem to like our stand of fir trees.

I usually hear one more than see one.

[OZi]

21. Really cool.

Not sure I've ever seen any of those before.

[Solly Mack]

22. I love woodpeckers!!!

Nice shots!

[Demonaut]

23. who is "Marta Dawes"

[Omaha Steve]

26. That is Mrs Omaha Steve

Some of the photos we have freely shared ended up for sale in a local flea market. So the really unique ones she puts a tiny watermark on them.

OS

[Demonaut]

30. good, they are great shots

[Vinca]

27. They're one of my favorite birds. Great photos!

[stage left]

28. Pileated woodpeckers are just amazing birds.

We've had a pair in our yard before. They like the berries on our sour gum tree. Great photos!

[kpete]

29. such a rare treat

peace to us all,
kp