Day 139: Yesterday, the Park's hazard-tree removal chief was on the job, showering the ground with bits of bark and wood as he jack-hammered away. I'd spotted him on my way over to the volunteer campground, but a glint of sun off the lens of my camera sent him flying before I could focus but, diligent worker that he is, he returned and resumed his task almost immediately, although on a different tree. Here, he could be seen to get to the heart of the matter as he pecked away, head and shoulders well inside the cavity he'd created. So consumed by his employment that my presence was largely dismissed as trivial, he allowed me to creep closer, a few feet at a time, until I had him in range.
"He," I say, and yes, I can give you proof of that. Note the red "moustache" sweeping back from his beak. That is the telling point. In the female, it is black. Dryocopus pileatus is the Pacific Northwest's largest woodpecker with a wingspan of 29" and a length of 16.5". In flight, the underwing shows white coverts, and the length of the tail is obvious. Woodpeckers of all sorts use the tail for leverage and balance, bracing it against a tree trunk or other surface to power their drilling. They forage for insects (particularly carpenter ants) on dead trees or sometimes on fallen logs.
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