My husband braved the cold and was able to get fairly close to this occasional visitor. She's a Pileated Woodpecker. She doesn't come near the sunflower seeds, rather hangs around some large pines around the property, hunting for insects.
Great capture. We used to see those in our yard in VA but not here in PA. Such a pretty shape to its head and that flash of red is always a sight to see.
He's pretty impressive! I have seen one, but there were too many branches in the way of a clear shot. The sound his beak made could be heard quite a ways away! It always amazes me that they can hit their heads that hard and not be hurt!
I'm currently watching a woodpecker out back flitting between my feeder and tree, but I just know if I try to sneak out for a photo, I'll scare it away ~
That is an awesome capture! Way to go Barry! I'm writing a story about feeding birds in the winter and of course that made me think of you. Apparently water is just as important as feed and the number one choice of food is sunflower seeds. You probably knew both those facts, but I really enjoyed learning them.
@lauriehiggins thanks laurie! yes, i wish we had a heated bird bath for them. one of these days .... barry is very particular about the type of sunflower seeds. they have to be black oil sunflower seeds. i'll be watching for your article. ;-)
@carmichaelbev thanks bev! glad you enjoyed the video. brick house, no holes, but the smaller woodpeckers are doing a number on the knot holes in the deck railing!
Great job Barry - and I can totally appreciate his sacrifice because it is darn cold out there - crazy wind! I didn't know that about water, where do they get it here?
@beautifulplanet thanks susie! yup, very cold these days! i guess water must come from melting ice and snow, in spite of the cold. I was curious so did some checking and found this link: http://www.birdwatching.com/tips/winterwater.html this may be the push i needed to get some water for them
Awesome capture! This is one of the birds on my bird bucket list. My Mom and stepdad have one that visits, but it's never been there when I've been there. :0)
@pulguis thanks for dropping by and for your kind comments. these birds are the largest woodpeckers in most of North America. i've copied some data in case you or someone else is interested:
Measurements, Both Sexes, Length, 15.7–19.3 in, 40–49 cm
Wingspan 26–29.5 in, 66–75 cm
Weight 8.8–12.3 oz, 250–350 g
This is lovely and what a awesome capture of this elusive bird. I've been trying to catch our 2 neighboring pileateds since I've started this project with no luck. I can always hear them but they typical stay out of view.
Measurements, Both Sexes, Length, 15.7–19.3 in, 40–49 cm
Wingspan 26–29.5 in, 66–75 cm
Weight 8.8–12.3 oz, 250–350 g