Ever seen a Woodpecker do this?

[benp]

LOT's of them around here, I've had them come right up to the house and eat my suet blocks, they can eat one up pretty fast!

SR

Yes they can. I divy out one cake a day between 4 suet feeders. I do 4 to keep the peace. I have 5 different species of woodpeckers and a a lot of times there's a different species on each feeder. Aaaaaaand some don't play well.

So, this way everybody wins.

The goofy Pileated's greet me when I get home from work. I like to think they are saying hi but I know that it is really "You are out of suet fool!!"

God forbid I don't fill the feeders. I have been in the house and heard a loud "BANG" on the Eve's troft. Just one bang only..lol.

I go out and fill the feeder and the Pileated is up in a tree bawling me out.

The families in the spring are really cool when they feed the juveniles from the suet feeders and then attempt to teach the juveniles how to eat out of the suet feeder.

I try to get pictures but that is tough. I go through a lot of suet then.

I had one Pileated juvenile this spring that I was a little concerned about. Not a quick study......at all. He would fly up to the feeder and stare at it. Creep up and down the tree then stare some more. It took him a while to get the hang of it.

 

[101mph]

That's the sign that you have one of the rarest woodpeckers in north america in your area. They are likely hearing carpenter ants and will excavate holes like that to get to huge ant nests in the soft core of compromised trees that have been attacked by the insects. The birds are telling us that this tree has been attacked by an animal(usually an insect).
Carpenter ants are like chocolate to Piliated woodpeckers. Treasure those birds as they are one of the most beautiful ones we have left in North America. Feel lucky and try to get us some pics of them.

No doubt.

I love the Pileated Woodpecker. Such a beautiful bird. We see one every once in a while and it's always a treat. I hear them more than I see them.

We have a few different species by our place. Red Belly, Hairy, Downey, and Northern Flicker. All neat birds.

 

[moondoggie]

There are "woodpecker hotels" all in my woods. It's really neat to see the 6-12" of chips at the base of the tree.



I figure it keeps the little rascals off of the cedar siding.

Then you always have "the special" woodpecker that loves the down spouts. Sounds like he's firing an MG42 or it has watched too many A10 "fart of God" gun run videos. BRRRRRRRRRRRP. Lol

 

[benp]

That pretty much sums it up Moondoggie. Lol

 

[Blowncrewcab]

Ive had Pileated Peckers tear up the beams in my barn to get carpenter bees, you couldn't do that much damage with a jack hammer with an axe bit on it. they literally tear it apart...

 

[svk]

I love watching woodpeckers. Not as fond of sapsuckers who ring my birch trees and weaken them for other pests to attack or flickers who drill holes into your walls and throw out the insulation to make nests.

We seem to see more pileated woodpeckers during the early spring (March) and late fall (November) but I do not believe they migrate.

 

[livemusic]

When my dad saw the Pileated at my house, he was shocked to see them. Thought they were nearly extinct.

He might be thinking of the very rare / almost extince ivory-billed woodpecker: http://myfwc.com/research/wildlife/birds/ivory-billed-woodpecker/identify/

Not totally sure but I don't think an ivory-billed has been confirmed anywhere near me for several decades.

 

[mga]

took down quite a few ash trees that the peckers bored into. they were mostly ant infested and they're going for the larvae.

the damn wood bees were making holes in my rough sawn cedar fascia boards and the small wood peckers were ripping them to shreds going after the larvae. I sealed up the damage and repainted them with motor oil mixed in the paint.

problem solved.

 

[alleyyooper]

To save money you can ask deer processers to save the suet from deer they process so you can feed it to the birds. I take a couple 5 gallon pails with lids I get from a sub shop for free to one near me. He will fill both and have a big bag full besides when I go to pick them up after the fire arm deer season.

Al

 

[svk]

My cabin neighbor will hang an entire slab of deer ribs. The little birds really love it and will work away on it all winter. Just get it in the trash before it warms up too much.

 

[cantoo]

It's cool that the wood pecker populations are soaring but what happens when all the ash are gone and there are 100', 1000's, 1000000's or whatever of wood peckers and no ash? Will they really go nuts for house parts then or devour another type of tree to get food? Every action has a reaction.
Ash trees die, ant/bug populations soar because there is more food (rotten trees) wood pecker population soars because of large food supply. Coyote and other pecker predators population soar because of more food (more peckers). I have to buy more guns to shoot coyotes because of excessive numbers, I also have to buy more saws to cut down rotten trees before they fall down. Really honey it's because of the damn wood peckers, I don't want another gun but those darn coyotes might just eat you and I sure couldn't live without you. Yes, I should likely get a new scope too. Love you.

 

[JeffGu]

...what happens when all the ash are gone...

With any luck, they'll develop a taste for houseflies and cockroaches.

 

[babybart]

And stinkbugs!

 

[babybart]

He might be thinking of the very rare / almost extince ivory-billed woodpecker: http://myfwc.com/research/wildlife/birds/ivory-billed-woodpecker/identify/

Not totally sure but I don't think an ivory-billed has been confirmed anywhere near me for several decades.

Maybe but he named the Pileated because that is when I learned what dem big sumbuggars was!

 

[Erik B]

This is what a pileated did to a poplar. Third pic shows the chips on the ground

 

[svk]

It's cool that the wood pecker populations are soaring but what happens when all the ash are gone and there are 100', 1000's, 1000000's or whatever of wood peckers and no ash? Will they really go nuts for house parts then or devour another type of tree to get food? Every action has a reaction.
Ash trees die, ant/bug populations soar because there is more food (rotten trees) wood pecker population soars because of large food supply. Coyote and other pecker predators population soar because of more food (more peckers). I have to buy more guns to shoot coyotes because of excessive numbers, I also have to buy more saws to cut down rotten trees before they fall down. Really honey it's because of the damn wood peckers, I don't want another gun but those darn coyotes might just eat you and I sure couldn't live without you. Yes, I should likely get a new scope too. Love you.

Lol

When ash is gone they just change species. I think they like aspen more than ash up here.

 

[hayboy]

When the bird seed gets low on the deck rail, they hang on the window and raise cain till you get up and feed them.

 

[Dirtboy]

We have pileated's in our woods. Was walking the dogs around the pond one day and saw a hole in one of the black cherry trees big enough to stick my fist in with the chips at the base. Looked to me like a healthy tree but a few days later there were several more holes. Decided to cut it down and sure enough the center of the tree was rotted. Since that time I have taken down the BC that was next to it and next spring I will have to take down another close to it that the bird is working on.

 

[sb47]

Had one pesky little wood pecker that seemed to have a fascination with my stove pipe a few years ago. That sucker hammered on that pipe for several years. I tried my best to ambush him with the pellet gun, but those suckers are very elusive. He finally moved on or died.

 

[GVS]

Had one pesky little wood pecker that seemed to have a fascination with my stove pipe a few years ago. That sucker hammered on that pipe for several years. I tried my best to ambush him with the pellet gun, but those suckers are very elusive. He finally moved on or died.

Have had 3 pairs of pileated's around me for many years.Each pair can have a pretty broad range.Also had a red headed or downey that would hammer on a speed limit sign across the road from me in the spring.He made that sign ring!