I must have heard a dozen of them Wednesday, must be mating season. They are
an excellent indicator of Old Growth forest, I have heard.
Big Basin only had 1 pair 10 years ago, I am told, and that was when I
started up there, I spotted a 3rd bird that year and now at the parking lot
before 7:15 Am when the Acorn woodpeckers cone in.
There can be as many as 4 Pileated peckers around the HQ parking area, and
darned near no one there but me to hear them (I do the Berry Creek Falls
Loop walk the first wed of each month and have tog et there early if I don't
want to have to use a flashlight on way out, I took 585 pics last wed, the
Pileated, as usual eluded me and they are so shy here, a 150 mm lens hardly
can pick them out from the tree, if your lucky enough to see one, but if you
know what they sound like they're all over. The sit at the top of the
compass tree, which a re a bit over 300 feet tall........ hence my love
affair with the mega zooms to offset the ultra macros for the other stuff.
One day after a long walk I was in the back room at HQ talking with the Park
Aides and was mentioning how I had shot several hard to get birds, somewhere
in there was the mention on feathers and the new ranger was around the
corner, when I noticed she was trying really hard to listen in and not be
seen, I just jazzed up my comments to make it sound like I was collecting
trophies until she just burst in the room and as she did, I held up the view
screen on the C-4040 and asked her if she wanted to see my shots!
I should know better than to do things like that to people with guns and
badges........ but within a day or so it was a good 'funny' for her too.
-----Original Message-----
From: olympus-owner@xxxxxxxxxx [mailto:olympus-owner@xxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf
Of Walt Wayman
Sent: Thursday, April 05, 2007 9:54 AM
To: olympus@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [OM] Re: Peckerwoods
And their call is quite distinctive. That's how I knew they were here. But,
now that I got the gear out, of course, they have disappeared. No matter.
They're here every year, just hard to find sometimes, but I'll see them
again in the next day or two and shoot them then (with camera, not gun, to
calm those of you who know my reputation).
Walt
--
"Anything more than 500 yards from
the car just isn't photogenic." --
Edward Weston
-------------- Original message ----------------------
From: "Walters, Martin" <mwalters@xxxxxxxxxxx>
>
>
> Yes, they are impressive. They do real damage to trees - you can't miss
> the oblong holes they make. We're lucky to have them come by quite
> regularly. I gather they tend to be solitary. However, last Fall, we had
> three arrive at the same time. They're also easy to recognize in flight,
> as they have an "jerky" wing movement.
>
>
> Martin
>
> Walt wrote:
>
> I need to get my ass in gear and get the gear out. There's a pair of
> piliated woodpeckers in the back yard. These are spectacular birds!
> They're noisy, but a lot closer than 500 yards.
>
> http://www.pileatedwoodpeckercentral.com/
>
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