When I lived in Vienna, VA, I had a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers living
close by. Over the years I got to observe them go about their lives. Each
nesting season they brought their kids to my suet feeder, and I got to watch
the kids grow up. After several years, Mr. P disappeared and I saw how Mrs.
P spent a nesting season on her own, kid-less.
In the latter part of that kid-less year, a new male showed up. I guessed
he might have been young because he wasn't the smoothest in the flying
department. Approaching the suet feeder, he would sort of crash land on it.
Over time Mrs. P and Klutzy became a pair and they raised a family. The
following year they nested again and were in the process of raising their
kids when Klutzy disappeared. Mrs. P managed to raise those kids on her own
that year.
Mrs. P was getting older and, in later years, I never saw her with another
mate. Her "hairline" receded even further and she started looking a little
beat up and worn out (I know how that goes). When we moved to Texas in
2006, she was still there. I said goodbye to her and wondered how much
longer she would live.
I didn't have Pileateds in my Austin, TX yard, and boy did I miss them.
One day not long after we moved to this house in 2013 I heard that wild,
maniacal call that broadcasts, "Pileated!" "They're here!" Excited, I hung
up a large, Pileated-sized suet feeder. They ignored it. After several
months I had to admit that they were not interested in it. They would land
on the trees 20-30 feet up once in a while, but not come down any lower.
Frustrated, I went to Plan B, deadwood. I had hoped that a rotting, 6' tall
snag would catch their eye, but it didn't. Hmmmm...perhaps if it was lying
on the ground they would find it more enticing? I rocked it until it fell,
and there it lay, beckoning. I added more deadwood when we had to have a
rotting tree taken down so it wouldn't drop on a neighbor's house. I kept a
snag, and also laid several large and juicy rotting pieces on the ground.
Well, it has taken a few years, but yesterday Mr. P came down to inspect my
offerings. I hope that before too long he will bring his family.
Here he is in action:
https://www.flickr.com/gp/canyoneagle/G6T58G
Lori Markoff
Eugene - South Hills
