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.

Pileated Woodpecker, Dryocopus Pileatus

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.