Pileated Woodpecker
“Shortly thereafter, a Red-breasted Nuthatch, a Red-bellied Woodpecker and a Pileated Woodpecker, and separately, a Northern Flicker, a Pileated Woodpecker, two Golden-crowned Kinglets and a Brown Creeper in the same tree together.”
Through the year
Columns that mention it, by the month they were published.
Year by year
Columns that mention it each year.
In his words
Ten of the 18 passages, oldest first.
This bird’s call is very similar to that of the pileated woodpecker.
Notable mentioning’s over the first two weeks of October include a close encounter between a Pileated Woodpecker and a Belted Kingfisher within “Robinson Woods III”, a Barred Owl calling before dusk almost every night in Robinson Woods I, a slight uptick in Red-breasted Nuthatches and Blackpoll Warblers high and low.
As for woodpeckers, I counted six Hairy woodpeckers, nine Downey woodpeckers, two Red-bellied Woodpeckers and one Pileated Woodpecker in our yard on the same day.
A Pileated woodpecker and two Red-bellied woodpeckers have also been visiting our neck of the woods.
On March 20 my wife and I were treated to a shy but agile pair of Pileated woodpeckers doing a side-step courtship dance not fifty feet from the back side of our house.
Through most of the fall season, the rolling rattle of this bird’s call can be heard across the mixed forests of Cape and is quite similar to that of the Pileated Woodpecker so don’t be fooled!
On Nov. 9, I observed two bluebirds giving playful chase to a nearly crow sized Pileated Woodpecker.
On New Year’s Day both male and female Pileated Woodpeckers blessed us with their presence, seen together in a crab apple tree in our yard.
From here the pulsing call of the Pileated Woodpecker and Ovenbird still reach far and wide.
On November 9, I observed four resident bluebirds giving playful chase to a nearly crow-sized male Pileated Woodpecker (males have a red stripe on their cheek).
Show all 18 passages
Lastly, on February 28 a Northern Flicker, Red-bellied and Pileated Woodpecker patiently waited turns at the suet cage.
Earlier on that same day our local male Pileated Woodpecker flew into the yard and was going about his typical business when out of nowhere a female appeared.
On February 20 I watched a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers excavating a nest hole in Robinson Woods III.
Also, a young male Pileated Woodpecker has been dropping into our yard daily, announcing his arrival with a series of loud, escalating shrieks.
Shortly thereafter, a Red-breasted Nuthatch, a Red-bellied Woodpecker and a Pileated Woodpecker, and separately, a Northern Flicker, a Pileated Woodpecker, two Golden-crowned Kinglets and a Brown Creeper in the same tree together.
I also appreciate the daily visits to our backyard by North Flickers and a male Pileated Woodpecker along with bluebirds and house finches that spread cheery chatter.
And on March 9 along the section of Sawyer Road that crosses the Spurwink River, I spotted one female Hooded Merganser and a pair of Common Mergansers feeding in a shallow salt-water pool as the rattling calling from a nearby Pileated Woodpecker carried across the marsh.
Also, just as we had last fall, a young male Pileated Woodpecker has been dropping into our yard daily for suet, announcing his arrival with a series of loud, escalating shrieks.