July 8, 2018
Read More
Pileated Woodpeckers 001
In May, Travis Novitsky (the manager of Grand Portage State Park) and I led a photo workshop for 32 fourth graders during which they observed this family of pileated woodpeckers building their nesting cavity. Wood chips were all over the ground from the excavation in this aspen tree. The male stuck his head out allowing the kids to see and photograph him. It was quite a thrill for the kids.
Pileated Woodpeckers 002
This week the babies were old enough to fledge. Here the mom is feeding the babies. The male is distinguished from the female by a red stripe on his cheek along with a full red crest. The female’s crest is only partially red.
Pileated Woodpeckers 003
They make a new nesting cavity each year. The male does most of the carpentry work but they both raise and feed the young. Here the mother regurgitates carpenter ant larvae into the mouth of the young male. It looks painful. The babies are always hungry and constantly calling for food.
Pileated Woodpeckers 004
I returned to the nest later this week with my granddaughter so she could see the baby. One baby had already fledged. This male was just about ready to fly.
Pileated Woodpeckers 005
Here you can see the ant larvae sticking out of the beak of the male.
Pileated Woodpeckers 006
The parents stop feeding the babies to encourage them to fly. Soon the young are so hungry that they are willing to leave the safety of the nest. Then the adults teach them how to get food for themselves.
Pileated Woodpeckers 007
Here the mom is calling trying to encourage the last baby to jump. Other years I have seen their first jump as they left the nest but this little guy was stubborn and still hasn’t left the nest.
