I have been on the hunt to photograph the Pileated woodpecker for sometime. My home is to suburbanized for pileated woodpeckers to hang around. I knew that if I was to find them, I had to go to the woodlands where they have been heard drumming. Pileated woodpeckers nest in late spring to early April.  They excavate large cavities in dead trees, usually 25–80 feet above the ground. 

I had a rare weekend off, so me and the misses hit the road to head to the state park where there have been sitings. Early in the morning, a balmy 23 degrees outside, off we went. Upon arriving, I immediately heard the drumming that echoed on the cool crisp morning air. The sound sound usually carries several hundred yards, so I knew there was a pileated woodpecker somewhere in the forest. Early spring resounds with the percussive hammering of woodpeckers. Their rhythmic drumming works like many birds’ songs: it broadcasts to other woodpeckers over a long distance a clear assertion of territorial and mating rights. 

The hunt begins. Using binoculars and simply listening for direction, we hit the jackpot. Not only did we find this handsome fellow on a snag drumming away, but several hundred yards away, we spotted a female excavating a nest cavity with woodchips flying every which way. This was amazing as I now have a reason to return and check the nesting site for the amazing pileated woodpecker.