Monday, November 24, 2008

Redheads Have All The Fun

Pileated Woodpeckers used to be rare in this part of Ontario, but we've had several nesting pairs in the area for several years now. Beautiful, easy to spot due to the racket they make, their large size (40-45cm/14-16in)and distinctive call, but very destructive to the large trees that they fill with their holes. I love to watch them hop backwards down trees -Nellie and I followed this guy (the males have that red line from beak to throat) from tree to tree in the nearby park this afternoon -I forgot all about how cold and gray it is today!

2 comments:

Goosey said...

What an amazing bird, I have never seen one of those, we don't have them in the UK. The nearest we have is called the Great Spotted Woodpecker.I see you are a special Education teacher, my daughter work in a school for disabled children and loves it...they have taken children in wheelchairs ice skating today!

laoi gaul~williams said...

being a red head i must agree!
what a beautiful bird~similar to ours but oh so different