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Home > Blogs > Birds and Butterflies > Archives > 2010 > February > 10 > Entry
The Mysterious Pileated Woodpecker
Written by Christina Funk
Today as Joshua and I ate lunch at Englewood MetroPark with Sue, Five Rivers MetroParks’ North Naturalist, a flash of red atop a bird flying through the trees caught our eyes. Watching closely out the window at the trees across the road, we hoped this mysterious bird would give us another look. Sure enough, another flash of red along with wings that resemble a black cape and the bird landed on the side of a tree in perfect view. My excitement grew as I discovered it was a Pileated Woodpecker, the largest woodpecker in Ohio. Suddenly, as we were about to continue our lunch, another Pileated flew through the trees. Sometimes landing on trees within in our view and sometimes disappearing onto the far side of the trees, the Pileated Woodpecker leaves a feeling of mystery as they are more rarely seen than the Hairy, Downy, or Red-bellied Woodpecker. I have talked with some who say that the Pileated visits their feeders all of the time, while others (like me) rarely get to see them. I always feel lucky when one graces me with its presence. Experiences like these remind me of how thankful I am for all of the people out there in the community who help researchers keep track of bird populations by watching and counting the birds they see in their neighborhoods. If you are one of those bird lovers who would like to help researchers, this weekend is your chance to join others in the 13th Annual Great Backyard Bird Count. From Friday, February 12, through Monday, February 15, you can help scientists at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology learn more about how birds are faring in your neighborhood by submitting your list of the birds you see at www.birdcount.org. Happy birding and watch for the Pileated Woodpecker!
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