As the leaves fall, the view gets better, so I'll be able to see a lot more of the resident Pileated Woodpecker pair that flies the stretch of the Little Miami River I walk frequently. Every time I'm there, I hear their calls, but viewing in the summer is a lot more limited. Now, without the leaves to absorb sound and obstruct my view, I can often narrow in on the birds shortly after they squawk out one of their calls.
There is definitely beauty in every season. Mrs. Pileated Woodpecker can't hide from me as easily in the winter!
...what a rush when a Pileated Woodpecker swoops in! This female was about 25 feet from me in a dead tree between the river and the trail I was on.
...listening...listening...
...listening on the other side...
...enough lollygagging, time to get back to work.
Beautiful bird! I love the red on them. We have a pair that visit our Oak tree but I'm not sure what kind they are.
ReplyDeleteHope you and your family had a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Lovely shots Kelly.
ReplyDeleteOne of the upsides to this time of year; they can't hide so easily from our lenses. lol
Love that shock of red and it always thrills me to see these birds!
ReplyDeleteLove seeing the Pileated, Kel... Beautiful birds for sure. Recently, one of them came to our suet feeder and stayed there the longest time devouring that suet... The Pileated Woodpeckers don't usually come to the feeders--but this guy must have been hungry.
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Betsy
Hi Kelly,
ReplyDeleteI've never seen it with my own eyes but only on blogs, and it is a fantastic woodpecker! yes tree without leaves, it gives a better chance to get them and you got him very well. The whole set is superb! Congrats!
What a great looking pecker kelly. Oh for some of that bright light you have there!!
ReplyDeleteGreat bird, great photos. I love the motion captured in the last one.
ReplyDeleteFabulous Kelly. I love these birds, we don't have anything as spectacular over here in the way of woodpeckers. Lollygaggling? Not heard that one before, love it! (-:
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful bird - and pictures. We do not have them here, so I am going to have go somewhere to see them.
ReplyDeleteThey are so pretty and unusual. I wonder if they are snobbish to the regular looking birds? :)
ReplyDeleteGreat captures Kelly!
They are such terrific birds any time and seeing them better is wonderful. They are so big, you think they will be easy to photograph, but they are also pretty shy when it comes to getting close. These are great shots!
ReplyDeleteWow - lucky you. I saw a green woodpecker the other day but my camera was miles away I'm afraid.
ReplyDeleteLucky you! We don't get Pileateds around here. Heard (and saw in the distance) a couple of Flickers, as well as a female Downy, on today's bird walk.
ReplyDeleteGreat series - thanks. I keep hoping I'll get the pileated to pose for me like that.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE these Woodpeckers! They are so awesome... my brother was just telling me how he saw this huge Woodpecker that reminded him of Woody and I was telling him what it likely was. So neat!
ReplyDeleteGreat pics Kelly! They're such cool woodpeckers, aren't they? I always hear them more than I see them.
ReplyDeleteWonderful shots, Kelly. This is one woodpecker I have yet to see in the wild. (They have one at the Denver Zoo, but I don't count seeing that one.)
ReplyDeleteBeautiful Mrs Red Hat!! Super shots!
ReplyDeleteYou managed some lovely clear views there.
ReplyDeleteI had to look up 'lollygagging' as I had not come across that before.
My sissy just said the other day that the very best thing about winter is that we can now SEE the birds so much better! What great shots of the Pileated Kelly!
ReplyDeleteThat's a gorgeous bird! Great capture.
ReplyDeleteLovely that you got to see the handsome Pileated :-)
ReplyDeleteYour calendar order is being mailed this week btw .
Lollygagging!! That's a new one on me so I just had to look it up, it's a great word/term, I won't forget that in a hurry.
ReplyDeleteLovely photos of the Woodpecker Kelly, the red looks like like a hat that it is wearing for a special occasion!
I'm so jealous of those photos I could just stamp my little feet and full on pout! I've been trying for years to get good Pileated shots,to no avail. We have left some sixty foot tall dead spruce and pine here in order to give them something to chew on just so I can take pictures, but NNNnnnnnooooooooo! I think they are all at your house! Great job!
ReplyDeleteKelly, she is sooooo beautiful! One of the nicest things about bare trees are these little gems are no longer hidden. Great pictures.
ReplyDeleteLucky you!
ReplyDeleteThose shots are great!
Doesn't he look so majestic. Gives me a headache to watch though;-)
ReplyDeleteKelly, I have a "Best Blog" award for you on my blog. There is no pressure to participate though. I know some people do not have the time or just do not accept awards.
Congratulations you deserve It!
Lona
Fantastic pictures and the Pileated woodpeckers seem such a stunning bird though I have only seen them on pictures.
ReplyDeleteWe do not have them in the UK.
I agree with you about the opportunities for bird watching when the trees are without leaves.
We have places that we visit in Spring before the leaves start to appear where we see all manner of birds including our native Woodpeckers. The bare trees give an opportunity to watch the birds for much longer periods because they can not dissapear from view into the foliage.
Love the blog.
the first photo is awesome. great stuff.
ReplyDeleteYou are one lucky girl to see these pileated woodpeckers..so close and so often. The two that I see "once in a while" are quite skiddish and are not as cooperative about getting their pics taken. Well done!!
ReplyDeleteGreat post Kelly - I love woody woodpecker!!
ReplyDeleteThat is such a striking colour red Kelly. Very appropriate colour for Red and the Peanut.
ReplyDeleteLovely series of shots! How generous of Mrs. PW to pose so nicely for you.
ReplyDeleteOh, I so love the pileated-so prehistoric looking!
ReplyDeleteI thought of you the other day-we are heading to South Carolina, and as we were driving thru Ohio-I saw a sign for the Little Miami River!
We must have been in your area! How neat! Ohio was such a surprise to us-especially the Hocking Hills area. Just gorgeous!
Super views of this big brute Kelly.
ReplyDeleteHi Kelly.
ReplyDeletePilleated Woodpeckers are a nice bird, unusual cap,and feathering, the sort of bird you would know anywhere, even this brit recognises it straight away.
Love;ly photo's Kelly. Keep it up.
A) I've been JUST DYING to see the Pileateds that I hear in the woods around the house, and B) I thought I was the only person who ever said "lollygagging!!" :-)
ReplyDelete...well it seems "lollygagging" struck a chord. For all of my british friends who had never heard of it, I looked it up. Webster's says the word first came into use in 1868, but the origin is unknown. It's a really old word. Apparently Allison and I are the only two still using it. Matty and I will use it now and then and laugh. It's a fun word that rolls off the tongue...
ReplyDelete...he is a wonderful bird, isn't he? The size, the color...the sound! I remember the first time I saw one of these monsters was back in 1991--in a Sassafras tree at our first house. I was mesmerized by him. Thanks for all the kind comments!