Ginevra Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 ...check out my Pileated Woodpecker. :D It is exceedingly hard to get a good photo of them. They virtually never come this close to the house, but today, this beauty flew right up as I was sitting here in the sunroom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 NicE!!!!!! That is a beautiful picture! How long did he/she stay there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrincessMommy Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 I love it! I saw one very close to our house the other day, but sadly, I did not have the camera nearby. I love birds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 NicE!!!!!! That is a beautiful picture! How long did he/she stay there? Rather long. My camera was already in the room, but I had to change my lens. I took 30 or more shots, decided it was enough, and still watched the bird for another 10 or so minutes. They usually don't stick around even long enough to find the camera! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathyBC Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 Great picture.Though we often have them close to the house, as soon as one of the kids attempts to grab the camera, off they fly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie4b Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 Super shot! The one around here is super shy and cautious. It will fly if it sees any movement, even if you are quite a ways away. It has sometimes come to within about 30 ft. of our home, but that's the closest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justasque Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 That would make a lovely Christmas card photo for next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassy Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 Beautiful! Cassy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 That would make a lovely Christmas card photo for next year. :D I'm very pleased with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Scientist Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 Have you tried calling him? Pileated Woodpeckers are quite territorial. If you tap on a tree trunk with a rock to simulate the way they hunt for insects, they will often fly up very close to you. I did that in my recent "Calling a Woodpecker" video, and was very pleased with how well it works. You do not want to tap quickly. The Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr kind of taping is really their song. Instead, you want a slow, irregular tap. Tap......tap, tap.........tap, tap...........tap.............tap, tap, tap.........and then pause for a minute or two. Tap some more and pause again. Watch carefully, as he will sneak up to see what you are doing. A bit of patience will give you a great photo op, as well as a fun lesson in animal behavior. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwickimom Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 Ok AS cool as a bald eagle for sure. Awesome picture! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustGin Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 Cool picture!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennynd Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 so very cute. we have couple of them flying around but u are right they never get too close. nice picture Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 Have you tried calling him? Pileated Woodpeckers are quite territorial. If you tap on a tree trunk with a rock to simulate the way they hunt for insects, they will often fly up very close to you. I did that in my recent "Calling a Woodpecker" video, and was very pleased with how well it works. You do not want to tap quickly. The Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr kind of taping is really their song. Instead, you want a slow, irregular tap. Tap......tap, tap.........tap, tap...........tap.............tap, tap, tap.........and then pause for a minute or two. Tap some more and pause again. Watch carefully, as he will sneak up to see what you are doing. A bit of patience will give you a great photo op, as well as a fun lesson in animal behavior. That is so great! Thanks for that tip. I will totally give that a whirl next time I head out for photos. I often become first aware of them outdoors when I hear their tapping. :001_smile: Ok AS cool as a bald eagle for sure. Awesome picture! :D Bald Eagles are quite an amazing sight, too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ibbygirl Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 Gorgeous! It looks like Woody! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassoonaroo Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 I emailed a link to this thread to my ds13 who is a bird freak. He'll love it. He wants to go to Cornell and be an ornithologist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpecialClassical Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 Awesome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 Wonderful picture!! Are you going to do the Great Backyard Bird Count, Feb 17-20? http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelingChris Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 I do see pileated woodpeckers but they don't come to my window. The Red Bellied does. This is not my photo but it is how they look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Jen* Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 I do see pileated woodpeckers but they don't come to my window. The Red Bellied does. This is not my photo but it is how they look. We had a pair of Red Bellied woodpeckers in a tree in our yard in Huntsville. They got so used to the kids playing in the yard under their tree that they would land on the swingset while the kids were playing on it. Never could get a good picture of them though because as soon as they saw me with the camera they took off :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amyco Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 Very cool! Thank you for being persistent to get the picture and posting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AuntieM Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 Wonderful! I wish we'd get a Pileated to come to our backyard woods. We have the regular red headeds but my youngest has never seen one of these big guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SweetMissMagnolia Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 I wondered what the correct name for that bird was--one visited us a few weeks ago-I have pics on facebook-will have to see if I can upload here...:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 I emailed a link to this thread to my ds13 who is a bird freak. He'll love it. He wants to go to Cornell and be an ornithologist. Neat! I didn't really realize that I love birds until well into adulthood. Part of it was probably that "birdwatching" was always the essential nerd activity, right? :D Only once I was in my 30s did I realize that most other people don't get excited about Goldfinches and Indigo Buntings! Wonderful picture!! Are you going to do the Great Backyard Bird Count, Feb 17-20? http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/ I have heard of it before, but haven't done it. Maybe I should put that on the schedule! Wonderful! I wish we'd get a Pileated to come to our backyard woods. We have the regular red headeds but my youngest has never seen one of these big guys. I see a pair from time to time. I don't know if they're monogamous or what their nesting habits are, but I've seen a pair in our woods several times over the years. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houseofkids&pets Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 What a great picture! We are bird lovers here (we own two cockatiels). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Oh, that's so neat! We have a pair in the woods here. Just saw them a couple of days ago. I'll show dd your photo--she wants to be an ornithologist, so she loves our bird friends! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 I emailed a link to this thread to my ds13 who is a bird freak. He'll love it. He wants to go to Cornell and be an ornithologist. Oh, my dd, too!! Cornell is a dream for her. Do you get the newsletter they put out? (e-news) They just had a neat link to a video of the researchers tagging birds to see how often they come to a feeder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claire in NM Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Absolutely beautiful! My only concern would be tapping a tree trunk with a rock. I don't think I want to invite a woodpecker to come after me. This would definitely make me run indoors. Yup, I'm a coward. Claire in NM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 You know, if you look carefully, I'm 99% certain that is the woodpecker's tongue you can see between his beak and the tree. I zoomed in on it in my photo program. It's not a stick or branch behind because it's not in the other photos I took in sequence. I really think the tongue makes the coolness factor go up by several points! :coolgleamA: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kebo Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Cool photo :001_smile:. I've never forgotten the pileated woodpecker I saw on a college field trip many years ago. They're awesome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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