"Don't wish me happiness I don't expect to be happy all the time....It's gotten beyond that somehow. Wish me courage and strength and a sense of humor. I will need them all." Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Friday 24 July 2015

A legacy

One day when I went down to the garden to cut a bouquet of flowers I saw a pileated woodpecker drilling on a stump on the other side of the fence. I scooped up the little angel and headed quietly over to look. When I realized the bird wasn't going anywhere we went back to the cabin to get my phone so I could show you this bird that frequently finds mention in my blog. There is a zoom on the camera phone but I've never figured out how to turn it on when I want it and this particular day it wasn't on. The bird was about six feet away eating termite's while drilling the stump apart. It was a male as the crest descended right to the beak and it had a moustache (a red line on the cheek) The female does not have the moustache and her crest is only at the very top of her head. Wood chips from heavy blows landed near my bare feet. When the side of the stump furthest away from us was decimated the bird hopped up on the remaining side and paused to take a good long look at us. Given that a pair typically will have a territory of approximately 150 acres or larger and that the longest recorded living pileated woodpecker in the wild was 12 years old it's nearly guaranteed that this is the same male I've seen and heard on a number of occasions. The black and white wings swooped like an oversized butterfly as it quickly passed into the secret depths of the forest. It's the raw beauty of this movement that endlessly appeals to me as the bird moves effortlessly through time and space leaving nothing behind except feather's and sawdust.
Sent from my iPhone

13 comments:

  1. I agree with your about birds, Ronda. They are fascinating to watch, and we have been very fortunate that in the last two years, wrens have decided to take up residence in a little bird house we set up in the garden. Last year, I noticed this bird who I immediately thought was a nightengale until I did some research to find it was a wren. She set up housekeeping, had her family, then winter came. THEN, this year, another wren came! What I find fascinating is that OUR GARDEN IS HER TERRITORY and every day, she sits on the arbor or the gate of the arbor and sings. She is either there or on the perch of the birdhouse. She is our constant little companion in the garden. Yes, it is fascinating to watch the birds as they fly off leaving nothing but feathers and sweet song of summer behind. HAPPY WEEKEND!

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    1. Hi Anita How very rewarding to find a bird making a nest in the bird box you put up! I've got robins nesting just off the back deck in a tree and how joyful it is to be back there and watch and listen to their young. This is the best entertainment. Have a beautiful weekend!

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  2. he's beautiful!
    and i like that he was not even afraid of you.
    you have such knowledge of the forest and the trees and plants and creatures there.
    i'm sure you will be home schooling? actually... you are already!
    and in the very best ways.

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    1. Yes he is beautiful and strange......I feel like I don't know much....have more questions than answers and I would like to learn more. As for schooling it will all fall into place when the time comes....

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  3. Wow, that is one impressive bird. I can't believe he didn't move. Last week there was the most unusual pair of birds in my yard. My husband said they were woodpeckers. We watched them for a long time before they flew away. I haven't seen them since, but it's nice to know they're around. I like your beachy background! :)

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    1. Hi Kim If a bird is occupied in what they are doing usually if you are calm and peaceful they will allow you to observe them and be quite close. There are many different kinds of woodpeckers and they all have there preferences for habitat. Pileated woodpeckers are quite common in North America as they will adapt themselves to a variety of habitats. I think it's wonderful you saw woodpecker's....may they come back!

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  4. You were given a gift not many people ever see. We have only a few times had a glimpse of one here in the almost 25 years we've lived here. We do hear the ratta-tat-tatting in the woods and that makes us happy. Thank you for sharing him with us!

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    1. How very interesting Dewena. I think it's wonderful the pileated woodpecker also lives in the forest around your home and that you know exactly what I am talking about. Yes, I agree they have a very distinctive voice that once you've heard it you won't forget. Thanks for your comment.

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  5. Hi,
    We love pileated woodpeckers too. They are always a true treat for us to see.
    Thank you for sharing your story with us.
    Carla

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  6. What a beautiful bird! If we click on the picture it enlarges and shows him off very well. Thanks for the education on this fine creature, dear Ronda! Hope all is well with you!

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    1. Thanks for mentioning how you can enlarge the picture.

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  7. What a beautiful moment to share with your darling angel! We have a lot of woodpeckers around here, and I believe we have the pilated woodpecker as well. Some people around here don't like woodpeckers, because their "pecking" makes holes in good trees, and then the trees can get diseases. But, what a beautiful moment it was for you to watch this beautiful bird with your daughter!

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  8. I think it's important to remember that if the pileated is feeding it is because there is a bug infestation in the tree. If they are digging nest holes the tree usually has an insect problem. These nest holes are re- used by lots of other birds. No tree will live forever and the pileated is an integral part of the circle of life.

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