Cheep Thrills at Hart’s Mill

by Margret Mueller

One of the great advantages of spending much more time on the land, tending to our little farm, is that I get to witness really cool stuff. Earlier this spring, Jeffry and I  became aware of a pair of pileated woodpeckers building a nest in a dead pine tree. It was conveniently  located where we had a direct view of the hole from the farm.

The hole was created high up in the tree with much banging and flying wood chips. As the hole got deeper, they both worked  from inside and periodically poked out a head to fling a beak-full of chips into the air, making this wonderful regal bird look briefly very silly.  After a couple of weeks, we heard soft taps, indicating the next phase of nest-building, which is to create a “bed” of smaller chips. Time passed, and one day at the beginning of May I was weeding and suddenly  heard  what sounded for all the world like a swarm of angry bees. It was a pileated feeding its new family!!  I later learned that this buzzing begging sound is typical of all young woodpeckers; very unlike the typical peeping of baby songbirds.

On May 9th I set up my camera on a tripod, aimed it at the nest hole, and waited. And waited. And waited….The backs of my legs were slowly sunburning, but I was entertained by a female bluebird avidly flying back and forth to her nest-box, also feeding babies. So much fecundity!  Just as I was beginning to wonder whether this was the best use of my time (so much work to be done) a sudden loud buzzing ensued from the treetops.  I witnessed and was able to photograph the male woodpecker feeding a beak-full of something (delicious, I’m sure) to two reptilian-looking babies with fuzzy red topknots.  Feeding done, the bird went all the way into the nest hole, only to reappear moments later  and toss out some, ummm… “debris”.

In another couple of weeks we should be seeing the fledglings, who reportedly hang around with their parents for a few months, learning necessary life lessons. Pileateds are said to be rather reclusive, but  I hope to witness this next stage in the lives of our new family.