Female Pileated Woodpecker

I just want to state that the holes made in these black cherry trees heal themselves over a few years..........they actually close the hole growing back together from inside out. We've never lost a tree to a Pili hole. Most black cherry trees here are lost to ants.

I never realised that! I would have thought that was the end of the tree; nice to know that it can heal.

Gorgeous bird. I see a pair of Red Bellied in my back garden now and then.

Your lucky to see these birds, they are a very private breed of bird, and they are huge too..! They used to be on the endangered list here, don't know if they still are now. I love the picture..!, and hope I'm lucky enough to see one while I'm out and about with my camera one day.

Is it just me, or does this fella look exactly like Woody-the-Woodpecker?

Great closeup by the way...

Ok - I've just seen the next photo and read the blurb - that'll teach me for looking at the piccies back to front.....

I think it's fantastic Sid, that you knew without reading it first !! Way to go !!

Ha ha - I know me cartoons, I do!!

I go through the pics back to front too...so my comments on the pileated that I saw is a couple down the line!! haha. Woody! Is it true that they have acute hearing and and literally hear the insect inside the tree? I've only ever seen them on dead wood... A pair took apart an old dead Elm on my Mom's property...just like a wood chipper...bark and wood flying everywhere! Great to watch.

Yes I believe that is true Lori ! They can hear the ants/insects inside a tree. And yes, the chips of wood go a 'flyin ! I'll post a pic of the woodpile of chips at the base of a black cherry tree they were working on. It's unbelievable !