by David Cohen
Mythic quests – for the Golden Fleece, the Lost Ark, the Holy Grail– pervade world culture. Here’s my neighborly, woodpecker version!
A neighbor whose yard abuts Rock Creek Park along Broad Branch Road saw me toting my camera, monopod and telephoto lens. “I know what you’re looking for,” she said.
I had no idea what she was talking about. “What?” I asked.
“The pileated woodpeckers,” she said. “Someone saw them here, and now people keep looking for them.”
Less than a week later, another neighbor told me, again, about local sightings of pileated woodpeckers. The Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology describes pileated woodpeckers as “one of the biggest, most striking forest birds on the continent.” I’d seen photos. I wanted to see, and photograph, the real thing.
That was several months ago.
Then, in the late afternoon on June 9th, I was looking and listening, camera at hand, near the Fessenden Street entrance to Linnaean Park. Because the sun was in the west, I faced east, seeking subjects with enough light on them to photograph.
Then behind me and to my left, I heard the slow, resonant drumming of a woodpecker. High in a branch, exactly where the light wasn’t, was at least one pileated woodpecker. I began snapping. The images were blurry, muddy, messy silhouettes. This wasn’t working, and my frustration was quickly exceeding my excitement. I needed to position my camera to the other side of the bird or birds. I knew that the odds the birds would wait until I positioned my camera properly were slim to none. Birds survive by flight, and commotions on the ground spur them into it.
Since the images I was getting were worthless, though, I had nothing to lose. I moved down the trail, then off the trail and into the forest. Amazingly, I continued to hear the drumming. More amazingly, I found a sightline through the branches and leaves. Here’s a little of what I saw:
(All photos © David Cohen, davidcohenphotodc.com)
At AllAboutBirds.org, you can hear a little of what I heard, and watch a little video of a mother feeding her offspring.
According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, “A Pileated Woodpecker pair stays together on its territory all year round. It will defend the territory in all seasons, but will tolerate new arrivals during the winter.” I was glad to meet this pair!
David Cohen has a knack at getting the even the most skittish local wildlife to pose for him. You can see his photos of other woodpeckers in the neighborhood here.
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Chuck Schilke says
The pileated woodpecker shots are truly remarkable. Forest Hills is indeed the right name for our community. Few other urban communities can boast nature like this–seeing rare woodpeckers, beavers, and deer, but within walking distance of the subway.
And if you are ever at Cornell, be sure to stop in at the school’s Laboratory of Ornithology, which has ever imaginable bird-related item, tracks the migration of birds throughout North America, and is perhaps the preeminent academic locus for the study of birds.
Jane Solomon says
I knew there had to be a baby out there! Could there be a cuter baby bird? This is a male fledgling with his father. The males have the red stripe on the cheek. Also, the red feathers on the head come right down to the top of the beak. The female has a patch of black between the top of her beak and her red crop. I expect this is the same male who, with his mate, began visiting our magnolia trees last fall when the red berries were ripe. The came every day for weeks. Then since we put a suet feeder out, they’ve been coming every day. To our astonishment, one day we looked out and BOTH male and female landed on the feeder at the same time–that was a lot of bird on one little suet cage! But the male chased her off pretty quickly. Congrats for finding the little one. Let’s hope this family makes Forest Hills its permanent home. Beautiful photos David–as always.
Marjorie Rachlin says
Terrific photos. Unusual to get two birds at once.
David Cohen says
Chuck Schilke, thanks for your kind response, and for commending the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, from which I continue to learn. Jane Solomon, thanks for gently educating me about gender in pileated woodpeckers. You solved a mystery for me, too. On Sunday, a ranger at Huntley Meadows Park to whom I showed a photo of the pileated woodpeckers told me both were males. When I asked about their sharing a branch, he was puzzled. Now you’ve explained it: father-son bonding! Marge Rachlin, praise from you is the highest praise, and I treasure it!
Jane Solomon says
What really surprises me is that a bird this young has all its adult coloration. I would expect a fledgling to be a bit less ostentatious, presumably to keep them out of harm’s way. David, if you look closely at your fourth photo, you can really see the size difference between their heads and beaks, how the little guy has an overall fuzzy look, and how his red crest feathers (not crop as I mistakenly said in my last post) stand straight up, whereas the father’s appear to be combed back to a neat point.
Luckily for we amateur bird watchers, pileated woodpeckers have a loud, easily recognizable call which they use with great abandon. When they come to our yard, we hear them long before we see them. Here’s a link to Cornell. Play the first “Wuk” call. I suspect it will sound familiar: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Pileated_Woodpecker/sounds