Mr. Pileated sees other birds flying up there at the feeders... As he looks up, I heard him ask Mr. Bluebird: "How do you do that?" Mr. Bluebird told him to use his wings and just fly up there and grab hold!!
Mr. Pileated knew that he was bigger than those other birds ---so he bent down --trying to make himself smaller. "Wonder if this will work?" he thought to himself.
"Okay---here goes!!!!" (Mr Pileated tried to get to that suet SEVERAL times --but missed... He would fly away and then come back and try again....)
Guess what???? He made it!!!!! But---he was struggling that first time or so trying to decide where to hang on, and what to do!!! I could hear him say: "Now that I'm here, how do I get to the FOOD????"
"Okay--it's getting easier!!! This is pretty darn special... And that suet is GOOD!"
Mr. Pileated is such a gorgeous woodpecker ---and I just had to show you this picture of his gorgeous feathers.... He's a HE---but those look like a pretty little skirt!!!!! Bet he wouldn't appreciate me saying that though!!! ha ha
Finally, I am showing you the funniest picture I have ever gotten of a Pileated Woodpecker... If this picture doesn't make you laugh, WELL---nothing will!!!!!! Isn't he hilarious?? (I think he is mad at me since I was laughing at him!!!)
++++++++++++++++++++++++
The birds and deer were both visible and active around here during Thanksgiving week. Wonder if they smelled our turkey in the oven??????? YUM!!!! I will share more pictures of our birds and deer in future posts.
Hugs,
75 comments:
woooww..those are amazing pics! and your story about Mr. Pileated is so funny. =D
http://bochasworld.blogspot.com
Outstanding photos Betsy! In that last one, he looks like he is saying, "Are you laughing at me??"
Great shots,Betsy. I love his red crash helmet and I can see why he has one; he doesn't look all that well co ordinated. I wonder if he gets better at it.
Oh, Betsy, I loved this! Your stories are wonderful esp. how you personify the birds.
The pictures are outstanding, and I did laugh at the last one! He does seem a bit irritated at you!
Such a sweet bird! I'm so glad he figured out how to get to the food. That will help keep his tummy full for the winter. It's so entertaining watching the birds. Banjo and I can spend hours watching them at our living room window. Who needs a TV? :)
Happy Tuesday Betsy!
xo Catherine
Great captures. He is the most prehistoric looking of the Woodpeckers, don't you agree?
Boy those are wonderful shots - and your play by play of the action - just perfect!
I am drawn to the Piliated Woodpecker - because they are the elusive ones for me. Seems they show me themselves only 1x a year. I am thinking of getting one of the bigger suet feeders and hanging it more towards the back of the yard. Maybe that will bring them more frequently.
My husband is finally catching the bird bug. Every once in a while he will say .. "did you check your camera - while I was home for lunch today I got a few shots of that red headed thing" (talking about the red bellied woodpecker). I am breaking him down a bit at a time!!
Betsy,
The photos are absolutely gorgeous and the story is oh so hilarious...What I think he is saying int he last picture is 'Do you think that's funny?'
...yes, we actually do Mr. Woodpecker!
Ha! Birds are so precocious! Lovely shots!
: )
We just hung up our suet this weekend, and after seeing your pictures, I remembered that I was going to add that stick perch!
Great shots Betsy and loved the story of the Perplexed Pileated. Aren't they awesome birds?
Very clever of you with that perch and I will put one on my suet feeder today. Thanks.
Love your story and that is a beautiful bird.
Wonderful shots of Woody! He certainly seems to be making a statement in the last shot!
Great shots and fun commentary! You two are always so busy doing something fun -- enjoying life to the hilt!
These pictures are priceless.I think you are getting that 'look' because you referred to his feathers as a skirt.:)
Blessings,Ruth
Oh this is a wonderful series of photos with a super story to accompany it. I did laugh at Mr P in the last photo. I, like Diane, also like his helmet. We don't get woodpeckers here but I enjoy seeing them when we travel to other parts of the country. Have a blessed day, my friend. (((hugs))) Jo. PS your photos are amazing!
This is a great series of pileated photos. OUr woodpeckers of that variety are pretty shy. They don't even thing about out suet feeder.
Hahaha...yes, that last shot DID make me laugh, Betsy, as did all your funny captions. Wonderful photos of one of my favorite birds!
Like you, I can watch our birds for long periods of time without being bored. They are not only beautiful creatures, but endlessly entertaining. When I am depressed, watching birds is always a good antidote.
What an amazing birdwatcher you are, Betsy.
Your story is funny and your photos are great!
Great pictures, Betsy. You got some dandies. I love the white under his wings. Boy he sure is glaring at you!! But he made it after all. Whew!!! MB
We have pileated woodpeckers here but they wont come near us. You are so lucky that yours are relatively tame!!
Maybe it's because we live in the forest and they don't see too many people, I don't know but I sure am jealous!!
What an amazing creature!! Larry
Great shots and narrative. I was waiting to see what you had and these are fantastic.It looks like through a window, I wish I had a good one on my feeders, I just have a small one with a screen.
He does look a bit mad...I would not laugh too loudly Betsy!!!
Great photos, I am so glad he figured it out!!!
tell your little guy thanks for my laugh out loud of the day, that last photo is really really hilarious. the photos are wonderful, you did a fantastic job of capturing the story and i loved the story you told Sweet!
What a cute story, and how neat to be able to observe and photograph it all. That last one is rigt up there with that famous photo of the "angry bluebird!"
Thanks for brightening our day.
You get the best shots of your visitors....good job.
He is definitely giving you a hard look...ha
Oh Betsy - so well written! In the last picture Mr. Woodpecker says: "Don't you DARE telling stories about me!"
Love your story! You should publish a children's book with all your stories and fantastic photos!! So educational and fun too! Ok, if the Pileated had arms, he'd have them on his hips together with that glare! He is handsome though!
what a brilliant photographer you are to
catch that! your woodpecker is so clever.
this will make me chuckle all day.
merry Christmas!
Mr. Woodpecker is my favorite! Watch your back as he may come peck you for laughing. LOL
That photo sequence is remarkable!!! And he IS looking at you like he's miffed!
Love the story, the photos and the woodpecker!!! What an ordeal for him to get to the suet. Ha. Thanks for sharing.
Wow again! I love your photos, and woodpeckers are beautiful. Never a disappointment here with pics
kim
He was doing chin-ups--how dare you laugh at him!!! That picture is priceless!
Outstanding captures. These birds can be very hard to photograph. Loved the commentary on the photos, too. Great post.
Animals get very creative and persistent when it comes to food (and I guess we do to). In the last shot, he looks like he's sick and tired of you interupting his day with your silly camera.
Yes, bird pictures! I love your bird pictures. Did you snap these with a freeze action setting? They are so cool!! You get every bit of the action and tell a good story. That last picture is priceless!! It's like he's saying "Who are you looking at, knock it off!"
Oh my goodness . . . these are wonderful! And that last hilarious pic speaks a thousand words!
The last picture has to be labeled, "So There! See? I did it!" What a great sense of humor you have and sense of connection to God's creatures and creation. Excellent.
This beautiful smart bird shows that 'Where there's a will there's a way'.
The narration is so funny and the photos are wonderful especially the last one. He'll know you when he sees you....lol
What a cute story, Betsy! Loved the photos and the last one seems to me to say "Will you put that camera away!" He looks a tad put out that you are capturing his clumsy attempts to get to the food! Thanks for sharing this and putting a smile our faces!
Have a great day,
Cheryl
He doesn't no he was shown off on the web today are how pretty he really is..one lucky bird. God Bless Trish
Hello!How are You?!
Wonderful post and photos!
Hi Betsy, You can believe it when I tell you that you have taken exquisite photographs of the Pileated Woodpecker. As you know, I really enjoy seeing these Woodpeckers. Congratulations for really capturing the action! Have a wonderful day, Stay warm & dry!
Too funny--bet he didn't like you saying he had a skirt!! LOL for sure.
Blessings!
CottonLady
That last picture is hilarious - boy if he could only talk! :)
The only time I see woodpeckers is when I go hiking. We have Acorn Woodpeckers around our canyons and I've also seen them up near Paradise, CA when I go up there to visit my brother. I did have a scrub bluejan eating at my suet cake the other morning. There are 2 of them that hang around our house. When they are at the feeders, all of the sparrows and doves sit on the fence because they are afraid to come down and eat. The jays chase them away.
I have more jealous bones in my body than I was ever aware of!!!!!!
Great Pictures Betsy.
Beautiful!!
Betsy--great series of photos and love the way your described how the pileated figured out how to get to the feeder. We have never had one at the feeder but hear them in the woods all the time.
I've got to queue up earlier tomorrow. I hate this being #52 and #73 in the comments pool! Ha! Love the photos - he looks like a baby!
Jane
Those are really neat pictures Betsy.
Hi Betsy, I am finally back from having a couple of "off" weeks. Now trying to get caught up with all! I loved this post, what fantastic photos you have taken of the pileated. I have a pair of them who hang around here but never have had the chance to see them up close. They are handsome indeed. Hope you had a wonderful THanksgiving!
Waw, great captures! i really liked..
How cute! You know I've never seen a Pileated around here?? We have plenty of other woodpeckers but I've never seen a Pileated. He should make for lots of good winter laughs.
that is HILARIOUS!!!! LOL
Blessings!
Melanie
Those are incredible pictures! I like it when people tell a sequential story on their post. And you are correct about the last picture, it is VERY funny! I bet you could enter it in a contest.
I think he heard you make that smart remark about him wearing a skirt!! hehe!
That IS a great picture Betsy. In fact they all are but the last one's phenomenal. Have you ever seen the feeders with the part that comes down so that the big birds can balance their tail on it? Sounds wierd but all it is is a piece hanging down from the feeder. Diane
Wonderful pictures Betsy! I haven't heard of a pileated going to a bird feeder. We have them in our big trees, but that's as close as they get. I love your cheery holiday look you have on your blog. :)
He is GORGEOUS!! And your shots are wonderful, Betsy. Every single one of them..I was ooo-ing and awww-ing and had to show them to my hubby...you see, the Pileateds here are shy and NEVER come to feeders...you are so lucky..they are so beautiful..and the funny pictures just had me laughing!!
Oh my gosh....you lucky duck! A Pileated Woodpecker on your deck!!! I would freak out. Love the Christmassy feel of your blog. I have to find some holiday glitter for mine too, but before I do that I have a lot of catching up to do. We've been way too busy...
Betsy...what an amazing bunch of shots....wow...loved everyone of them....and the new header...new clothes for your blog for Christmas!!!
As always, the photos are terrific! And you are so Christmas-y these days. I've had internet issues and tonight is the first time in a weeks I've seen full headers on every blog I've loaded. Nice!
HA HA HA HA HA! That last picture is hilarious, Betsy! I love it! Great pictures and post. :D
Love the wood pecker pics.
You can have your rain back now please !!! We are flooded tonight,the water didn't get out until after dark so there's no telling what we'll find in the morning.
Our little creek is roaring louder than the ocean tonight and I can't see in the dark but I'll bet it looks like the ocean too.
Have a blessed tomorrow.
Marilyn
Oh Betsy, what a great series of photos and I absolutely love your commentary. The Pileated woodpecker seems to really be thinking hard and trying to figure out how to get the suet.
I'm glad he finally caught on and got some goodies. That last photo is hysterical.
These pictures are delightful; they really made me smile.
The last shot is priceless!
☼ Sunny
Betsy, your photos are the best I have ever seen of a Pileated Woodpecker. His vivid red head goes perfectly with your Christmas theme.
He dose look mad as he stares straight into the camera lens thinking.. go away, this is my suet!
Hugs and happiness,
Pam
Loved the captions that you included with each picture of the woodpecker. And, yes, that last picture made me laugh. What a great picture. He does look mad!
Betsy, these are great! How cool that you get to watch a pileated this close. I see one maybe once a winter, if I'm lucky. Beautiful and so funny it must have been to watch it.
Yeah!!! So happy he made it and got the food!! Great pictures, Betsy!! Too cute and that last one was absolutely 'prizing winning'!! You need to enter that one in a contest for sure!
Thanks for sharing with us & for the smiles it brought!! :-)
HUGS,
Coreen
Awwww! That's lovely and amazing photos. You were so patient and in luck to capture that handsome woodpecker! The last picture showed how cross he was!!! LOL
I must say, these are the best Pileated Woodpecker photos I have seen, Betsy. There are a couple in there that are priceless. I just wish I could get them to stop off here and have a look around. I got lots of suet cakes and would do more if that might help.
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