Second Billing

Day 332: Doogie here (Douglas Squirrel, Tamiasciurus douglasii) only gets second billing. The real star of my hike in Nisqually-Mashel State Park yesterday was a Pileated Woodpecker who shared the trail with me for a scant seven or eight seconds, long enough that there was no room for doubt regarding the identification, but not long enough for me to get the camera off my shoulder. That is one big bird! My sightings of Pileated have been few and far between, and I am always thrilled when I can add another location to my tally. The bird was a male, full red crest with no darker feathers on the forehead. I'm sure it must reside somewhere near where I sighted it because after shearing off into the forest, it circled around and came to rest near where it had been perched when I surprised it. As for Doogie, the co-star of this epic, he showed some reluctance to abandon his log until I was within twenty feet of his position. I suspect he might have been guarding his winter stash.