Pileated on the Strawberry Patch

That’s a “the title says it all” situation. Arlene looked out the window and said, “There’s a bird on the raised bed. I think it’s a pileated!” We got binoculars and took a closer look. It was. We got out our phone cameras and opened the front door quietly and took pictures. Arlene walked closer while I took a fifteen-second video of it hopping behind a tree forty feet away from me. It flew, but not far. I was watching more on the camera video screen than in real life, and lost sight of it when it landed and folded up its wings, hiding the big white spots — it’s the way you follow the white tail of a running deer, and lose sight of it when it drops the tail — but it was right there on the tree ahead of me.

Published by deanb

male born 1944 mathematician by training, software engineer by profession; retired since Labor Day 2013 birder, cyclist, unicyclist, eraser carver, knitter when possible