Woody Woodpecker paid a visit to our front yard today.
I should have been nice and let him be, but instead I chased him out of the yard with a camera.
I have seen them in the neighborhood before. I believe they are Pileated Woodpeckers. They probe from tree to tree quietly tapping each one a few times looking for ants and beetles. After a long and slow search they find something they like and hatchet away at it very loudly. The beak will get 40 chops in the span of a few seconds. Around here you can regularly hear the sound like the firing of a wooden machine gun far off in the distance. It is no wonder that these birds are the mascot for the Clifton Park Open Space program. You'll see signs like the below picture posted all around Clifton Park identifying special wooded areas. There is one a few doors down from my house, identifying a nice little trail that makes a great addition to a local walk or jog.
Additional Images
Related Links
* Wikipedia's Pileated Woodpecker page
* Clifton Park Open Space Program
-- More reading about plans for the Open Space program
* John K Stuff/Woody - The creater of Ren & Stimpy deconstructs Woody Woodpecker animations
Glossary of Terms
* Pileated - having a crest covering the pileum
* Crest - a showy tuft or process on the head of an animal and especially a bird
* Pileum - the top of the head of a bird from the bill to the nape
* Nape - the back of the neck
* Birder - a person who birds
Please tell me I'm not birding right now.