Pileated Woodpeckers 001

Our neighbor had a pileated family make a nesting cavity in an aspen tree close to their house.

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Pileated Woodpeckers 002

I spent a few days this week watching the adults feed the baby.

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Pileated Woodpeckers 003

This baby is a male. The difference is that the male has the red mustache and the female doesn’t. The notch of red feathers on the head goes all the way to the beak on the male also. Mom is heading off to get more ant larvae.

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Pileated Woodpeckers 004

It is amazing how far the adults push their beak into the baby’s mouth when feeding. You would think that would hurt.

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Pileated Woodpeckers 005

Here is the male after a feeding session.

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Pileated Woodpeckers 006

The baby was getting ready to fly after I took this photo and the next day he was gone. Pileated woodpeckers build a new nesting cavity every year. They only have young in it one season and then leave it for other critters to use.

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Saw-whet Owl

Some of the other critters that use old pileated nests are saw-whet owls.

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Northern Flying Squirrels

And Flying Squirrels.

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