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My first time!
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Posted by holleygarden (My Page) on Thu, May 28, 09 at 18:32
| I was surprised to see a pileated woodpecker today! It was the first time I have ever seen one, and it was beautiful. Saw it flying from tree to tree for about 10 minutes before I lost sight of it - DH ran to get the camera, but didn't get a picture. Has anyone else seen this elusive creature? |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: My first time!
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| We have had Pileated Woodpeckers in our 15 acre woods occasionally, but they don't nest here. They do drill huge long holes in some dead trees. We have lived here 3 years and never had any success attracting them to the suet. Then this last winter the female found the beef suet on a tree and later brought her mate. I have one photo with both of them on it! I am not sure how to post on here. Then when it warmed up and the suet started to melt, I took it down and replaced it with peanut butter/lard suet. The squirrels found that right away and scarfed it up. I'll put beef suet out again this winter for the PW. |
RE: My first time!
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Wow, how exciting! They are beautiful birds, but somewhat camera-shy, as you know!
We don't have pileated, but we do have a pair of red-bellied woodpeckers that are nesting somewhere near. They come to snack on our sunflower seeds and poke around on a hackberry stump to see if there is anything interesting. Woodlandgal, we have had luck with the suet cakes from Walmart--I believe they cost about $1 each. They don't melt--even in our Texas heat when we hang them from a tree branch (a little shade doesn't hurt). |
RE: My first time!
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| I'll have to give those beef suets a try. I usually don't feed the birds because we have cats and I hate to attract the birds too low to the ground. My hummingbird feeder is on a pulley system! Anyway, we do have a few dead trees so they are probably attracted to them. And our pines are just now beginning to look like a 'forest'. Would love it if a female showed up. :) DH has always said he has seen them around here, but I never believed him until I saw that one myself! lol Would love to see your picture. Wish I knew how to post so I could tell you how to do it. Something about photobucket... |
RE: My first time!
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marlingardener, I use plain beef suet from the butcher shop in the winter plus peanut butter/lard mix that I make. Beef suet melts over 70º and gets on the birds' feathers. When it gets really hot the PB/lard mix sometimes stinks a little, but it doesn't melt.
I am going to try posting the pic. I'm not sure if this is how it's done here. It was a very dark and dreary day when both the Pileated's were here. The pic isn't very clear. The female is at the beef suet. http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj291/woodlandgal_photos/PIWPPair.jpg |
RE: My first time!
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| woodlandgal - thanks for posting the picture! I wish we could have taken a picture - but he wouldn't stay still. I'm hoping I get to see him again soon! It's incredible that you got to take the picture of the two together. |
RE: My first time!
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- Posted by cjc45 9 Mount Dora FL (My Page) on
Tue, Jun 2, 09 at 11:34
| I just saw one in my backyard. It's the first one I've seen since I moved back to Florida nearly a year ago. Always a thrill. Also, we went out to dinner the other night and saw a smaller bird chasing a bald eagle right over the restaurant. Holley G, what part of the country are you in? |
RE: My first time!
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I'm in East Texas - a couple hours away from Dallas.
It's my understanding that they are less scarce now than they used to be? I just know that I personally had never seen one until now. Hope I see it again this summer! |
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