pilateated woodpeckers question
quiltbird@annapolis.net
Fri, 11 Dec 1998 16:27:58 -0500
Hello All,
Recently I have seen a pair of pileated woodpeckers in my yard. They have
been extremely vocal and seem to travel as a pair. We have seen this
species occasionally in the past, but they have never been such
loud-mouths. Really raucous.
One factor that has attracted them is a Virginia pine that just turned
brown in the last two weeks.-- My guess on diagnosis of that is bark
beetles, and something (maybe the pileateds) has already started digging in
the bark.
Question:
Are these birds courting, or looking for territory? Would anyone care to
venture a guess? Is it the right time of year for this behavior? ( I have
noticed that the red-bellied woodpeckers have started working on their nest
holes in the wintertime, long before they are actually nesting.)
Background--In 1989 we had a pair of pileateds, seen once in a while and
continued sightings for several years. Then in 1996 we saw only the male.
And since 96 until the recent sightings, all observations were of a single
male. Was so good to see a pair again.
Good birding
Linda Baker