I could hear the knock-knock sound as I approached the trail intersection. On either side, the forest was still thick in spite of the loss of foliage to the fall, I could scarcely peer through the entangled branches, bushes, and leaves. As the sound got louder, I noticed movement to my right, and then I saw a flash of red on the lower section of one tree.
A woodpecker was working his magic on a tree trunk. Unlike others of its kind I've seen, this one appeared larger. It is called a Pileated Woodpecker, and it is the largest in North America, easily recognizable because of its magnificent red crest.
At first, it was difficult to spot it because it was moving around the tree. Splinters flew everywhere in the sunlight. Then, it came clearly into view when it climbed up the trunk.
According to my pocket copy of the Birds of Canada (Bird, 2016), woodpecker pairs mate and establish their territory in wooded areas, where they make rectangular cavity nests each season for long periods of time. They lay one brood per season with 6-8 eggs. In the following season, they build a new cavity, and the abandoned nest is used by other birds and even little mammals.
I moved in a little closer with the video camera pointed at it, careful not to get too close and disturb it. I zoomed in to get a better view.
These woodpeckers like living in forests and swampy areas like the one in the nearby lake. I sometimes see them high up on the trees, so it's difficult to assess their true size. This one was low to the ground, and so it's actual size was more easily grasped.
They hold on to tree trunks with powerful claws and stabalize themselves with stiff tail feathers, as seen on the photos. What a marvel of biological engineering.
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