Pileated Woodpeckers Arrive

July 12, 2011

They're the largest of the North American Woodpeckers (since the Ivory billed has not been seen in North America in awhile.)  They're about the size of a crow and they're gorgeous with their brilliant red head feathers and white strikings against the black!  We had a flock of 4 land on our cedar in the backyard and we were fortunate to see them. 

They may be the same family: mother, father, son and daughter, that our neighbor had living in her area.  (She named them... Parents:  Marc Antony and Cleopatra;  Children:  Caesar and Octavia. )  In fact the parents had their "kids" a couple summers ago and we watched them when the youngersters still had pink feathers.  We're all hoping they're the same family.