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If you care nothing for the feeding and rare sightings of our fine feathered friends please feel free to skip this post because I’m about to gush like a horny ornithologist.
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Yesterday evening at 7:41pm I walked by one of the windows that looks out over our backyard and saw this.
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We’ve lived in this home for over 20 years and I’ve only spied this elusive creature twice.
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They’re big, usually 20 inches long.
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They like deeply wooded areas and though we hear their jackhammer like drilling occasionally it’s rare to see them out in the open no less hanging on our suet nugget feeder having a nosh .
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To say I was thrilled is an understatement.
There was a female pileated woodpecker in our backyard!!!!
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The sexes can be distinguished by the amount of red feathers on their heads. Red halfway down the face to the eyes? Female. Red all the way down to the beak? Male.
River the bird nerd at your service.
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Not exactly a riveting video, I know.
But I had to share.
❤️
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River's world..... 
That is a glorious sighting indeed! Your so lucky living out in the country because you get to see all those wonderful birds in you back yard.
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It’s ridiculous how thrilled I am.
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I just joined https://www.iNaturalist.org a few days ago to identify a bug I found in my plumbing last week. I never knew it existed, but was led there by a university prof I had contacted. My bug turned out to be a common bug in my area, which disappointed me like crazy, but at least I knew its name. So next I put up a picture of a bird I had never seen before but one visited my bird feeder in 2019. I still have nothing definite, but at least I gave been given some ideas by experts. They have pictures by the 10,000s on the site. But I still don’t know my way sround it.
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They sounds interesting. I’ll check it out…
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Lucky you. Such amazing birds. We have only had them come here about three times over 25 years. I hear them more often but rarely see them.
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Same here. This was a real treat!
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We’ve got them in our backyard, too. I’ve already spotted them several times!
– Another Horny O.
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Of course you do.
First you one up me with ponds. Then pricey peonies. Now you have multiple pileateds. Is there anything that backyard can’t do…?
😉
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Very Cool
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We had one last week in our birdbath. Cupcake took photos and put them on her blog page. We have NEVER seen one here. Not in 22 years.
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They are in Florida, but usually in the woodlands. Nice catch!
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Strangely your video didn’t show…I have been having problems as of late playing shorts on YouTube..click one a different one plays
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It was just the bird eating suet. You didn’t miss much….
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Ah..but a chance to see that bird…my wife is a birder she got excited when i told her about yoyr post
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They’re impressive. Such big feet!
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Fabulous! I’m excited for you! Now she knows there’s a food source she might return, crossy fingys
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That would be wonderful….
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Aren’t they just amazing? We have the same feeder and we put peanuts in ours, and we have a family of woodpeckers who come every day, year after year. When it gets low on peanuts he comes and tells us to fill it up! It’s really cute! 😀
Count yourself lucky!
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I do!
❤️
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That’s fantastic! Gush away! I hear them around here, and I see maybe one or two each year and it’s always a great day!
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THIS IS SO COOL!!!
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I think so!
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I found an oriole at the end of my driveway Wednesday night. I was sad.
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Awww.
They’re so beautiful…
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Neat bird and happy day !
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I can feel your excitement, and I am right there with you! They are amazing and I’m glad your’s gave you a show.
I see them occasionally around here, but just yesterday, I had one at my feeder by my office. I was mesmerized watching he/she at the feeder(didn’t know about the red part telling the sex) and giving my oak tree a workover. They’re LOUD and cool. I wonder if its the same one? 😜😜
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This is the first time we’ve ever seen one at our feeders. If they visit yours you are one very lucky birder!
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Not the first time seeing one in my yard but yes, first time seeing one at my feeder!! I was beyond elated. #bird nerds for life!
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