Comments on: Pileated Woodpecker in my backyard

By: Adam

Adam — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 02:14:32 +0000

I don’t know where you live, but we live right in the city (Park Ave). In the summer, I hear these guys most days on my walk to work. You wouldn’t expect that they would be here in the middle of the city, but they are…

By: Kirsten

Kirsten — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 02:11:06 +0000

Hey Paul! I will drop you a line. Back to school again at your advanced age?!?!?!

:-D

By: Paul

Paul — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 20:20:13 +0000

Mort- Pileated Woodpeckers are great birds- I love it! Here in Seattle we do not see them :(. How is everything? Shoot me an email when you can. All is well- traveling a great deal for my job and studying for Ed.D at the University of Washington.

best-

Paul

By: dad

dad — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 23:45:09 +0000

The pileated woodpecker is one of the cases where adaption has helped it survive. Once this bird needed continiously wooded forest and wouldn’t fly across open areas if it’s home range was without adequate food. As a result it was disappearing and headed for extinction. Fortunately, and unlike its Ivory Billed cousin, it learned to adapt and now will wander in search of food. A tip off to its feeding habit is a lot of woodchips on the ground and the tell-tale square hole it makes. We have several that habitate this area, one of which flew into our house but survived–after shaking off a big headache.
For a good picture of a rose-breasted grosbeak go to my blog jimmortensen.com and search under Birds. I have several. We have three pairs that come to our feeder beginning in midMay.

By: Kirsten

Kirsten — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 12:20:55 +0000

I love rose breasted grosbeaks! And they have a beautiful song — find an audio of one online if you can and then keep your ears open, you’ll probably hear it around if you have one. Another sound they make is exactly like a sneaker squeak on a gym floor — you’ll hear them make that noise when they’re hanging around in the tree tops looking for lunch :-)

By: Duke of Earle

Duke of Earle — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 14:21:41 +0000

Aren’t they cool? I’ve yet to see one in my back yard, but the frequent the golf course where we play. Carol has some excellent shots of them in that locale. One of us will spot one and cal to the other, “Pile-ey!”

Oh, and I meant to include that just yesterday we saw a bird in our backyard we’ve NEVER seen before. It flew off while Caorl was running for the camera, but from its unique appearance we’re pretty sure it was a Rose-breasted Grosbeak. See this site for pics: http://identify.whatbird.com/obj/205/_/Rose-breasted_Grosbeak.aspx

John