When it comes to seeing a Pileated woodpecker on our farm it is usually from a far away.
In the past, I've captured some pics of this splendid bird, but they are always fuzzy. As luck would have it, several weeks ago I was sitting on the back porch and I heard the unmistakable sound of this bird pecking away, but this time I could tell by how loud the sound was that it was nearby. I figured that by the time I went inside and grabbed my camera it would be gone. As I sat back down and turned on the camera, there it was, about 50 feet away.
The woodpecker had made its way to the side of the tree where I was able to get some wonderful pictures.
After about a minute it took off, but landed on another dead tree that was only a few yards away.
The tree he was pecking on in an attempt to find some bugs, has been dead for a while. I plan on taking it down this year, now I'm having second thoughts.
As the woodpecker circled the tree looking for a meal, I was able to capture a few more pics when it came into view.
This fellow was tearing the tree apart. As I focused in on this shot, out of the corner of my eye I saw another Pileated woodpecker as it flew off deeper into the woods. When the second one flew away the one that I was thoroughly enjoying flew off as well. As far as seeing a bird and getting some pics of it, this experience is in my top five. What a wonderful few minutes of bird watching.
