A STRIKING SIGHT

Admiring the carpenters of the forest

- Larry Kirtley

For the past two years, I have had the privilege of witnessing two families of pileated woodpeckers build their nests and fledge two sets of nestling pileated chicks.

It began while I was out looking for something to photograph just north of my home here in Blind River, Ont. Driving along a country road, I noticed a huge pileated woodpecker flying towards my car, when it suddenly vanished.

I turned around to look for the spot the woodpecker had landed and caught sight of a telephone pole with a huge hole in it. I pulled over and noticed a female pileated woodpecker poke her head out of the opening, sending woodchips falling from the newly excavated hole.

I have since learned a few interesting facts about these birds. The male and female take turns to dig out the hole, with the male doing most of the excavating. The entrance of the hole is usually about nine centimeters in diameter, with the depth of the cavity being between 25 to 60 centimeters deep. The nesting cavity takes from six to seven weeks to complete before the female lays between three and five eggs.