Mr Piliated

[eyeguy 54]

kinda fuzzy pic but was nice to see a male again.  Have not seen one for a while. I know they stop cuz the suet keeps going.

[DonBo]

One of my favorite birds, all woodpeckers in fact.

 Having a hard time keeping suet around myself.  Dang crows keep gobbling it up.

[roony]

Nice pics, we have one hanging around here but he is quite shy. One of my favorites as well.

[nofishfisherman]

Had one of those guys visit me while deer hunting two years ago.  They are VERY loud when they get to pecking at the tree you are sitting in.

[eyeguy 54]

It is my favorite bird. Reminds me of woody woodpecker and happy times many years ago. 

[roony]

They have a very distinctive call too. It almost sounds tropical, at least to me.

[Dotch]

Glad he's back eyeguy. Last one we saw was a female here last year for about 10 minutes so it's always nice to see them, even when it's online.

Edited December 18, 2015 by Dotch

[delcecchi]

So cool.  My best is the red bellied that hangs around eating sunflower seeds.  And the eagle that flew over Denny's yesterday while I was eating breakfast with some buddies.

[Ufatz]

We have a least two pairs of Pileated's around our place.  And all four varieties of ladder-back woodpeckers. They start small and get bigger and bigger. The largest is almost the size of a blue jay. And about 50 each chickadees, nuthatches, buntings etc. Crows stay away.  Couple owls behind the house most nights. And of course our little pals the red foxes. And the deer which sometimes,   when snow is deep, come right up on our front deck to steal birdfood!

[eyeguy 54]

fun!   I havnt seen the red bellies for a while here but probably close by

 

[the nature boy]

We have a least two pairs of Pileated's around our place.  And all four varieties of ladder-back woodpeckers. They start small and get bigger and bigger. The largest is almost the size of a blue jay. And about 50 each chickadees, nuthatches, buntings etc. Crows stay away.  Couple owls behind the house most nights. And of course our little pals the red foxes. And the deer which sometimes,   when snow is deep, come right up on our front deck to steal birdfood!

Where the heck do you live?

[Sculpin]

How do you distinguish between a male and a female Pileated ? None of the field guides or bird books call out a difference ?? I have had as many as three at once at suet feeders and they all look alike to me.

[RebelSS]

Ya haveta look close for the little designer purse.   Oh, welcome! 

Edited December 23, 2015 by RebelSS

[eyeguy 54]

red streak on the cheek of the male and a touch more red on head

[Sculpin]

Thanks Eye Guy, I'll have to pay closer attention going forward.. They are great birds !!  My experience over the years is the higher up in the tree you can get your suet basket, and the bigger the tree, the faster they will develop a comfort level.  The birds in my area seem to prefer real suet chunks vs. the small commercial cakes. 

[DonBo]

  The birds in my area seem to prefer real suet chunks vs. the small commercial cakes. 

Oh, absolutely!  I've saved the fat from all my deer, and they seem to like that much better than the cakes.

[eyeguy 54]

I just use the nutty butter ones from fleet farm.  cheap and they eat em up. I have put chunks of deer fat out now and then but it lasts a long time.  just fat tho, never did anything with it. 

[fishingstar]

I get my suet from the a local butcher shop.  10lb. for $10 cut it big chunks and they love it.

I have a big basket and I have to about every 2 to 3 days.

[the nature boy]

I got my only photos of this guy just a couple miles from Star Lake several years ago. Awesome bird.

 

[fishingstar]

This guy is a regular visitor