We are lucky enough to have at least two Pileated Woodpeckers frequent out backyard, but up until now it has been nearly impossible to snap a photo of one. However, they must have been feeling generous around Thanksgiving time, or really hungry, because this time when we went out, they didn't fly off as soon as we opened the back door.
We often refer to the Pileated Woodpeckers as pterodactyl because they are so large in size. You can kind of get a sense of it in this photo -- look how he/she is large enough that the bird feeder tilts, and after he/she leaves, the bird feeder sways for quite some time. They really enjoy the suet that we put out for them.
Here is it after it bit off a chunk of suet; if you look closely, you can see it has a chunk in its mouth.
A nice side shot of the woodpecker...
And this shot shows off the brilliant red head -- it definitely catches your eye when looking out in the backyard. Many times it is the red that makes me look again.
