One of the finest creatures in the eastern forest is the pileated woodpecker. It is large and has a bright red crest – it is the woodpecker that Woody the WP is modeled after. It is secretive but I’ve seen it on several occasions. Yesterday I saw one excavating an old log lying on the ground. It had attracted a little fan club including a squirrel, a robin, and a smaller hairy woodpecker who were,apparently, interested in examining the leftovers.
Here’s the kind of work it does on dead trees.
kevin hikes 
This is crazy. I just saw a Pileated Woodpecker for the very first time on Sunday and right in our backyard. Actually, our Chihuahua brought my attention to it. Then tonight our daughter-in-law, Karen, posted a picture of the damage one did to her client’s house. I thought they were shy. Maybe we are on a migration path.
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How fortunate to see one in your yard!! Woodpeckers can do significant damage to houses. In flagstaff, we have northern flickers that like to drum on houses.
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I had hoped to see one on the Pinhoti, but never did. Glad you got to see one.
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Great photo, Kev!
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