Woodland Sightings

[ellyssian]

Monday evening, a pileated woodpecker took off from the Middle Woods, about 60-100' from the house. This is our second sighting - last year he flew along the back edge of the property. Last weekend we were discussing last year's fly-by, and it was mentioned that they are fairly rare in our area (which is verified on the distribution map on the link). No mistaking his size, red head, or call, however. Hopefully, he doesn't stay around though - he likes to eat carpenter ants. Of course, if we *have* carpenter ants in the area already, hopefully he finds a mate and raises a family nearby.

The woods are really starting to fill out nicely - lots more sweet birch and American chestnut in the 1-3' size range than I remember, as well as a significant quantity of the not-as-yet-positively-identified "cherry." I'm almost positive that the multi-trunk, 2-3' tall sapling along the edge of the driveway is a Washington hawthorn - definitely positive that it is a hawthorn of some flavor.

The dawn redwood we planted last fall is very close to, erm, needling out. The one planted last spring is almost fully open. One of the redbuds and one of the goldenraintrees we planted this spring is starting to leaf out, and the other one each seems close. Almost everything planted this year is showing signs of growth - the American beech and American sweetgum seem to be furthest behind, and do cause some concern. The Christmas fern finally started to poke itself out of the ground. Was a bit worried about it because the native ferns (of which it, technically, is; although we don't have any growing natively) are almost fully opened, or at least standing tall in preparation for the full unfurling. The three Pam's Choice foxgloves seem completely DOA, although the three Apricot Delight flavors are doing fine.

One of the local bears is definitely active: unseen, although it left obvious signs of its presence. It climbed over my neighbor's fence and proceeded to feed on suet and birdseed, leaving some wreckage of feeders and a birdhouse behind. The fence shows signs of where he got in, but isn't destroyed. Keep in mind that Blue, a trained guard dog, has run inside the yard, although she was inside the house at the time of the feast.

Comments

[malinaldarose.livejournal.com]

My husband and I used to live on an old farm not too far outside the city limits; one morning, I was about half an hour late getting into work because a family of three pileated woodpeckers was sitting in one of the fruit trees (the plum tree, IIRC) outside the kitchen window. You just don't leave when something like that's going on.

[ellyssian.livejournal.com]

That's why I like to work from home...

I bring the laptop out on the porch! =)

[opakele.livejournal.com]

Pileated woodpeckers are beautiful. I've written in my journal, I've had five at the feeder, each taking turns. Very loud, piercing cry.

Their colors and markings make me think of fleeces, and spinning, and what would I weave, what kind of yarn would do that? Something about red, and black/white twill?

Dramatic bird.