We’ve all heard, or perhaps seen a Woodpecker at work. The Downey, or the Hairy, most commonly. Then there’s the more impressive Red Headed, and the unexpected Flicker, also classed as a woodpecker. All told, there are ten different woodpeckers in Ontario.
But the most impressive by far, is the Pileated. If you wish to see pictures of one, just Google it. The Pileated being the most impressive, is of course, the most photographed.
I’ve seen and photographed/videoed many myself, but the pictures I’m going to share with you here, are what a Pileated Woodpecker can do while searching for food. As one can well believe, the holes they leave are used by everything from Wood Ducks to Pine Martens for homes.
The tree in the pictures below was 10 inches in diameter and the small hole was all that was visible from the trail we were walking.
This is what it looked like from the other side :
The only consolation is that Pileateds are reputed to dine on carpenter ants primarily, and this tree wouldn’t have survived anyway. Talk about “collateral damage” though.
Bushwhacker
