Pileated Woodpeckers possess great power. You can hear it in their wingbeats, their bills striking wood. It resides in their wild laughter and pugnacious nature, which animate the forest and our imaginations. Humans have been fascinated by woodpeckers for thousands of years.
Bill, your pileated photographs are scenes taken from a bird lover’s dream.
We gush over, go back and look a third and fourth time, zoom in for more detail. We are envious and in awe. Mostly we are honored and thrilled that you, a kindred spirit of watchers, was there to share it with us.
So sad about the specimen bird that died. It tried so hard to escape but he was determined that that would not happen. Sigh…. And exquisite photos. We have nothing like that in Australia. A fascinating story. Thanks so much.
Have you read my book Love Nature Magic? It sounds like you may want to try shamanic journeying to talk with the Pileated Woodpecker! I have a lot of them in my woods but have never journeyed to converse with them.
The pileated woodpecker often shows up for me as a spirit guide (along with great blue herons). Just saw one yesterday, then my friend forwarded me your email. Love this!
Beautiful photos (as always!) and deeply moving history of a stunning bird. The moment I opened the email and this yellow rimmed eye looked back at me, I was drawn in. Thank you so much for another exquisite journey into the more-than-human world with feathers 𓆩♡𓆪 🙏
There are lots of pileated woodpeckers on my property in southern Ohio. I'm guessing that this is due to the numerous dead ash trees killed by the emerald ash borer that are still standing. I've also observed them coming to investigate some of the larger logs that I've used to make garden beds.
Really wonderful work, Bill, both in the writing and pics. Thanks so much for directing our attention to the marvels of pileated woodpeckers. There's a great few pages about them in Kerry Hardy's excellent book, Notes on a Lost Flute: A Field Guide to the Wabanaki. The book may be too Maine/New England focused for your interests, but I highly recommend it to anyone interested in this landscape and its deep Indigenous history. Re: the pileateds, or May-May to the Penobscot, Hardy notes that cultures across the continent all wore versions of what seems to be their red crest. His reading of Joseph Nicolar, Penobscot leader/historian, suggested that "the May-May is clearly the first and most important bird" who "taught the people to speak and to count; he breathed air into the First Man and showed him the foods to eat..." Lots to explore there. As a side note, I once heard a pileated knocking hard on a resonant tree, but it was directly overhead where there was no tree; it was a raven flying by while imitating the sound.
I love these birds, and we have a mated pair that thrive in and around our property. it seems they like the rotting trunks best where my husband had once harvested hardwood trees for our winter BTU's.
I’ve only seen one, a silhouette in a distant treetop, and they fascinate me. What wonderful photos of a stunning ritual you witnessed. Thank you so much for sharing.
Beautifully written column - love the poem at the end, and those PICTURES! Bill, I can't believe you captured those woodpeckers. I'd love to see one! Last year at the lake l saw a pair of red-headed woodpeckers - love to see Pileated Woodpecker sometime. So enjoy your column.
I lived for a short while on 7.5 wooded acres in northern Idaho. I had a few pairs of pileateds that lived on the property. They would cling to the trees very close to my house and I would sit outside and watch them for hours. One day I took out my Audubon app and played some of the recordings of their calls. In an instant I had two dive bombing me and perching not far up on a tree just feet away from me, giving me the once over. It was glorious. They always checked me out from that point on, prob wondering why I looked like such a weird bird 🤷🏻♀️
Bill, your pileated photographs are scenes taken from a bird lover’s dream.
We gush over, go back and look a third and fourth time, zoom in for more detail. We are envious and in awe. Mostly we are honored and thrilled that you, a kindred spirit of watchers, was there to share it with us.
So sad about the specimen bird that died. It tried so hard to escape but he was determined that that would not happen. Sigh…. And exquisite photos. We have nothing like that in Australia. A fascinating story. Thanks so much.
Have you read my book Love Nature Magic? It sounds like you may want to try shamanic journeying to talk with the Pileated Woodpecker! I have a lot of them in my woods but have never journeyed to converse with them.
The pileated woodpecker often shows up for me as a spirit guide (along with great blue herons). Just saw one yesterday, then my friend forwarded me your email. Love this!
Beautiful photos (as always!) and deeply moving history of a stunning bird. The moment I opened the email and this yellow rimmed eye looked back at me, I was drawn in. Thank you so much for another exquisite journey into the more-than-human world with feathers 𓆩♡𓆪 🙏
There are lots of pileated woodpeckers on my property in southern Ohio. I'm guessing that this is due to the numerous dead ash trees killed by the emerald ash borer that are still standing. I've also observed them coming to investigate some of the larger logs that I've used to make garden beds.
Really wonderful work, Bill, both in the writing and pics. Thanks so much for directing our attention to the marvels of pileated woodpeckers. There's a great few pages about them in Kerry Hardy's excellent book, Notes on a Lost Flute: A Field Guide to the Wabanaki. The book may be too Maine/New England focused for your interests, but I highly recommend it to anyone interested in this landscape and its deep Indigenous history. Re: the pileateds, or May-May to the Penobscot, Hardy notes that cultures across the continent all wore versions of what seems to be their red crest. His reading of Joseph Nicolar, Penobscot leader/historian, suggested that "the May-May is clearly the first and most important bird" who "taught the people to speak and to count; he breathed air into the First Man and showed him the foods to eat..." Lots to explore there. As a side note, I once heard a pileated knocking hard on a resonant tree, but it was directly overhead where there was no tree; it was a raven flying by while imitating the sound.
Bill, have you watched Adam Haritan’s video, the “Miracle of Woodpeckers?”
https://youtu.be/4pIMTkiSt4Q?si=S7nc8kPIUwRFM2VU
Lovely!
Great story on a personal encounter with pileated woodpeckers as well as information provided about their habitat.
I love these birds, and we have a mated pair that thrive in and around our property. it seems they like the rotting trunks best where my husband had once harvested hardwood trees for our winter BTU's.
I’ve only seen one, a silhouette in a distant treetop, and they fascinate me. What wonderful photos of a stunning ritual you witnessed. Thank you so much for sharing.
Beautifully written column - love the poem at the end, and those PICTURES! Bill, I can't believe you captured those woodpeckers. I'd love to see one! Last year at the lake l saw a pair of red-headed woodpeckers - love to see Pileated Woodpecker sometime. So enjoy your column.
One of your best!! Seeing the 2 woodpeckers going through the ritual must have been a once in a lifetime experience. Thank you for sharing.
I lived for a short while on 7.5 wooded acres in northern Idaho. I had a few pairs of pileateds that lived on the property. They would cling to the trees very close to my house and I would sit outside and watch them for hours. One day I took out my Audubon app and played some of the recordings of their calls. In an instant I had two dive bombing me and perching not far up on a tree just feet away from me, giving me the once over. It was glorious. They always checked me out from that point on, prob wondering why I looked like such a weird bird 🤷🏻♀️
Great piece of writing!! I have a sick fascination with the pileated woodpecker and your story did not disappoint!