There were two Pileated Woodpeckers in a Live Oak tree above my head, picking through the Spanish Moss and Resurrection Fern. The vegetation looks lovely in the tree, but sure limits photography of birds.
Pileated Woodpecker
I never saw what they were eating but it appeared to be berries or nuts, and no pecking was going on.
Pileated Woodpecker
It is likely this was an adult teaching a juvenile as a few times the younger looking one was just watching then got fed.
Pileated Woodpecker
One came out into the open just before they flew off.
Not far from where I saw a Pileated Woodpecker wreaking havoc on the boardwalk to the swamp last week I heard the impressive tat-tat-tat again. This youngster was frozen in place in a nearby tree and clearly not the origin of the percussion.
Pileated Woodpecker Fledgling
He flew a little higher just as I spotted the adult again assaulting the underside of the boardwalk railing.
Pileated Woodpecker and Fledgling
The adult flew up to the fledgling and started feeding him some regurgitated material.
Pileated Woodpecker and Fledgling
The chick stuck to his spot and the adult flew off and returned several times, daintily offering the juvenile food.
Pileated Woodpecker and Fledgling
The feeding process was very calm, especially compared to the egrets and herons I had just been watching.
I still get excited when I see a Pileated Woodpecker and to have one land on the boardwalk railing was a treat. They look pre-historic and check out those feet!
Pileated Woodpecker on Boardwalk Railing
I’d guess he’d been to this spot before as he wasted no time dropping down over the edge.
Pileated Woodpecker on Boardwalk Railing
He bobbed up and down, gave just a few pecks on the wood, and was eating something.
Pileated Woodpecker on Boardwalk Railing
I have seen Carpenter Bees flying and hovering around this area for weeks. The substance the Pileated Woodpecker was eating wasn’t distinctive, but may have been bee eggs laid in the wood.
Pileated Woodpecker on Boardwalk Railing
I forgot about looking over the edge after the woodpecker left for what would be a perfectly round hole made by the Carpenter Bee when a bright yellow bird zipped along in the other direction.
Without any fuss this Pileated Woodpecker flew into a tree above my head as a few folks were gathered to watch the Great Blue Herons nesting. His “do” would suggest he might be shocked, too.
Pileated Woodpecker
Photographing birds over your head is not the ideal situation and perhaps not the best view of the bird but this angle shows off his impressive beak.
Pileated Woodpecker
He didn’t do any drilling or even poke around the tree, just sat there for about five minutes. The few tourists passing underneath him didn’t capture his attention. There were a few Red Shouldered Hawks patrolling the area behind us and maybe he was hiding. He left as quick as he came with no noise, back the way he had come.