Monday 6 March 2017

Pileated Woodpeckers, woodland walkies

Last week I spotted the pileated woodpecker, there is much evidence of activity. They are at the base of the trees. Some naturalists rant about the damage they do, but it's all part of the cycle of life. The trees are still growing!

 My recent videos featured her on her nest! I can hear them lots.
You can see how the snow is gone under the warmth of the forest canopy, which harvests the sun's rays.


Daisy and I ventured down to the wetland. The point was pretty wet. This was last week. We went back into a deep freeze, and the 3rd photo shows the ice frozen again. It's good news, as we had a drought last summer.


Where the deer fur remains, Daisy was pretty interested in sniffing.


The bridge to the wetland was not navigable, being so much underwater. Daisy sat on the fallen bush and watched the water go by. There are bubbles, and the water was moving. She was fascinated!


The frog pond has a fair amount of water. This bodes well for spring frogging. I sat on the chair, and watched for a moment, then Daisy got bored. It was well above zero last week. This morning double-digit below zero. The ice is, again, frozen solid.


This was our revisit just a few days later! Frozen solid. The dock, my bridge, and the island.


Daisy sat down for a peek She heard something across the wetland. Turned out to be a deer. She has excellent hearing.


She was reluctant to leave. She sat on that log for a long time.

10 comments:

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

This big woodpecker is such fun to spot and they sure can do a number on trees. Many times it's old dead trees so that's better I would think. Enjoy your day!

eileeninmd said...

Hello, love the Pileated Woodie and your sweet kitty. Nice walks. Happy Monday, enjoy your day and the new week!

Kay said...

Wow! I've never seen those types of woodpeckers in the wild. They are so distinctive.

Phil Slade said...

This is so frustrating. In my trips to Ontario I only ever saw the hole and not the bird.

Try this, but if gets to complicated don't worry.

https://photographylife.com/underexposure-and-overexposure-in-photography/

Red said...

Pileateds don't go into live bark. They attack the rotten stuff that's full of bugs.

William Kendall said...

Daisy is impatient for spring, one imagines.

The Furry Gnome said...

Fabulous picture of the Pileated Woodpecker!

Christine said...

Great shot of the woodpecker!

Debbie said...

i really like how natural your property is...fun to navigate!! the pileated is beautiful, i don't see them in my yard!!!

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Great picture of the woodpecker~ That's a lot of temperature change.