ONE LAST WOODPECKER POSTING

In the spirit of full disclosure: this is more of a postscript to the previous series than a serious blog of its own.

I have had one other woodpecker visit this property, but the chances of ever getting its picture are about the same as my taking a stroll on the moon and finding that golf ball one of the astronauts slugged into oblivion.

Only three times in over twenty years, and not at all in the last decade, has a pileated woodpecker passed through this neighborhood and qualified to be on my personal home bird list. The rule is the bird has to land on our property long enough to be accurately identified/verified; if I can validate the sighting in at least two ways (books, online pictures, or by a photograph which is confirmed by another birder) I will add it to my yard list. Currently I have over sixty birds on this list. Note: I also keep a sub-list of birds which have flown over some portion of this acre and a quarter without stopping for a chat, but which I believe to be accurately identified.

The Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) is huge and very dramatic. An adult is as much as 18" to 20" tall, it is a very "angular" looking bird, very shy if you are stalking it, and it has awesome coloration. It is a gorgeous bird, even if it looks rather geekish, and however awkward it might seem at first glance, it is a magnificent flyer, being both precise and powerful.

Because I don't have a home based photograph and can't find my "in the woods" picture (in which the bird is too distant to really be well seen), I am going to refer you to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology - a great site devoted to the study of birds - to the page which illustrates and describes this giant woodpecker.

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Pileated_Woodpecker_dtl.html

If you ever spot "The Pileated" in the wild, you will probably be well away from towns and farms and near some deep woods. Even if you don't remember its name, you will have no doubt as to what species you are seeing since no one will ever confuse this woodpecker with any other woodpecker, or for that matter with any other bird extant or extinct.

Do me a favor. If you do see one of these beauties someday, watch it closely, observe every detail of its appearance and behavior, note the location and the time of day and call me. I'd love to hear all about it, and I might have a try at visiting it myself.

Here's A New Friend.

Red-Breasted Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus ruber).

This little fella has been hanging out on the Chinese elm which is only a few feet from our front door. When he is feeding on the bugs and such in the bark of the tree he moves up and down and around the trunk, but most of the time he is just hunkered down about four feet from the ground on the lee side of the tree where he is easily watched. Although most of these birds are usually quite shy, this one and I have become "friends" enough for me to slowly come within about six feet while softly talking. (If I am not talking, however, he moves away much sooner.)

Of all the varieties of woodpeckers in North America, the Red-Breasted Sapsucker is the only one with an entirely red chest ,neck, and head free of white or black markings. The Red-Headed Woodpecker in other regions has the red head and neck, but not a red breat and he is not found in the Pacific Northwest. Other than his remarkable color, our guy is primarily patterned in white and black on tail, back and wings. From top to tip overall this little bird is only eight inches, or so.

My first encounter with this specie came in very early morning hours on an Alaska campout north of Juneau in a meadow just above the high tide line. Awakened by a loud rapping about a foot above my head I peared out of my mummy bag to see a sapsucker trying the tent post in search of breakfast. He stayed several minutes before deciding there were no grubs or bugs in the driftwood stick holding up the shelter. My view of him in the 5:00 AM sunshine was a highlight of all my bird watching experiences.

In other woodpecker news, on the north side of the house outside the dining room window, I am enjoying the three or four pairs of Red-Shafted Northern Flickers (Colaptes Auratus) which are sharing the suet in alternate visits with other birds. I am keeping an eye (and binoculars) on one occasional little one which either a Downey Woodpecker or a Hairy woodpecker. Those are so much alike, I haven't nailed this little guy yet with a positive identification, but he is a delight to watch. The only other birds which he tolerates while feeding are the cloud of bushtits which seem to appear every two or three hours on their neighborhood rounds. Somehow they all find room on the wire holder to seek the suet inside.