Pileated Woodpecker

DRH · 11-04-2016, 06:21 PM

I happened to get this snapshot of a pileated woodpecker in our front yard this afternoon. They are very impressive birds!

Slickcraft · 11-04-2016, 07:29 PM

Very nice photo.

Now maybe the bad news. We had a pair of them going at the base of a tree on the island a few years ago. Impressive what they can do to a tree if it is full of carpenter ants. A short while later the tree had to come down.

DRH · 11-04-2016, 08:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slickcraft

Very nice photo.

Now maybe the bad news. We had a pair of them going at the base of a tree on the island a few years ago. Impressive what they can do to a tree if it is full of carpenter ants. A short while later the tree had to come down.

Yes, I know about the "bad news"! Pileateds are very destructive and can damage trees so badly they don't survive. Fortunately, this particular bird poked around the ground for a few minutes and then flew off, hopefully not to return.

ishoot308 · 11-04-2016, 08:08 PM

Great pic DRH!!

Thanks for sharing it!

Dan

rick35 · 11-04-2016, 10:16 PM

They are beautiful birds and impressive growing to about 15 inches tall. Their tongue wraps around their brain as a kind of shock obsorber which you have to google to appreciate how it works. Someone told me that their call is kind of like jungle noises and it made sense when I saw and heard them in my back yard wailing away on a dead tree.

dayvsea · 11-05-2016, 07:27 AM

Yah they are really something to see aren't they? And if they were going to go to town on that tree...believe me, you'd know it!

Orion · 11-05-2016, 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DRH

Yes, I know about the "bad news"! Pileateds are very destructive and can damage trees so badly they don't survive. Fortunately, this particular bird poked around the ground for a few minutes and then flew off, hopefully not to return.

If the pileateds are boring heavily into your trees, they are likely pretty well infested with wood-boring grubs and they are being damaged from the inside. They are letting you know that this tree is dying and you wouldn't otherwise know the tree is already at risk of coming down in a storm at some point in the future.

Slickcraft · 11-05-2016, 10:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Orion

If the pileateds are boring heavily into your trees, they are likely pretty well infested with wood-boring grubs and they are being damaged from the inside. They are letting you know that this tree is dying and you wouldn't otherwise know the tree is already at risk of coming down in a storm at some point in the future.

Correct, in our case it was carpenter ants. The tree was pretty well hollowed out in the center and ready to be blown down.

That is Peter from White Mt Tree Service.
http://www.whitemountaintreeservice.com/

Airedale1 · 11-05-2016, 10:09 PM

Very nice shot! They sure are cool birds.

secondcurve · 11-07-2016, 06:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slickcraft

Correct, in our case it was carpenter ants. The tree was pretty well hollowed out in the center and ready to be blown down.

That is Peter from White Mt Tree Service.
http://www.whitemountaintreeservice.com/

These guys certainly earn their money. You never knows when a tree is weaker than expected and it suddenly comes down unexpectedly.

11-04-2016, 06:21 PM	#1
DRH Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: West Alton Posts: 1,612 Thanks: 933 Thanked 562 Times in 149 Posts	Pileated Woodpecker I happened to get this snapshot of a pileated woodpecker in our front yard this afternoon. They are very impressive birds! __________________ DRH

11-04-2016, 08:08 PM	#4
ishoot308 Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Gilford, NH / Welch Island Posts: 4,028 Thanks: 1,363 Thanked 2,819 Times in 1,060 Posts	Beautiful Great pic DRH!! Thanks for sharing it! Dan __________________ It's Always Sunny On Welch Island!!

11-05-2016, 07:27 AM	#6
dayvsea Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 104 Thanks: 37 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	Yah they are really something to see aren't they? And if they were going to go to town on that tree...believe me, you'd know it! __________________ "Honesty is the best policy."

11-05-2016, 10:09 PM	#9
Airedale1 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Laconia Posts: 527 Thanks: 531 Thanked 1,278 Times in 234 Posts	Very nice shot! They sure are cool birds. __________________ The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit. Nelson Henderson (1865-1943)

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The Following 13 Users Say Thank You to DRH For This Useful Post:
Airedale1 (11-05-2016), dayvsea (11-05-2016), ishoot308 (11-04-2016), Jersey Ed (11-09-2016), Just Sold (11-04-2016), KPW (11-04-2016), lobstadanca (11-07-2016), mcdude (11-06-2016), Nagigator (11-05-2016), Pineedles (11-07-2016), Slickcraft (11-04-2016), Tallyho (11-06-2016), trfour (11-06-2016)

11-04-2016, 07:29 PM	#2
Slickcraft Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Welch Island and West Alton Posts: 2,408 Thanks: 752 Thanked 1,275 Times in 590 Posts	Very nice photo. Now maybe the bad news. We had a pair of them going at the base of a tree on the island a few years ago. Impressive what they can do to a tree if it is full of carpenter ants. A short while later the tree had to come down.

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11-04-2016, 10:16 PM	#5
rick35 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Bear Island/Merrimack Posts: 457 Thanks: 21 Thanked 94 Times in 50 Posts	They are beautiful birds and impressive growing to about 15 inches tall. Their tongue wraps around their brain as a kind of shock obsorber which you have to google to appreciate how it works. Someone told me that their call is kind of like jungle noises and it made sense when I saw and heard them in my back yard wailing away on a dead tree.

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