# Pileated Woodpeckers



## Nicodemus (May 29, 2006)

Got these pics this mornin` at our huntin` and fishin` cabin on Lake Seminole. For about ten minutes they were raisin` sand at each other. They put on a good show and were so intent on each other that I was able to slip up fairly close to them.


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## Nicodemus (May 29, 2006)

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## Nicodemus (May 29, 2006)

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## Nicodemus (May 29, 2006)

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## Nicodemus (May 29, 2006)

Here they had quit chasin` each other and were dancin` around hollerin` at each other.


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## Nicodemus (May 29, 2006)

Here`s the eventual winner, I guess. The other two took off and he flew in for a closer look at me.


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## Nicodemus (May 29, 2006)

One more of the winner. Shame they weren`t Ivorybills. I do consider these my best pictures to date though.


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## 11P&YBOWHUNTER (May 29, 2006)

Awesome pics and it seems to me that it was a mating or territorial ritual.  Probably the winner was the other two...this guy was left behind while they went and did the deed...


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## ramsey (May 29, 2006)

very interesting--- and excellent photos!


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## Nicodemus (May 29, 2006)

I`m purty sure all three were males. One took off east across Fish Pond Drain and the other one flew west towards the Chattahoochee. This one hung around all day today. I got to plunderin` around and found a really big hole pecked in a dead snag way up in one of our longleaf pines in front of the cabin. Hopefully there will be younguns in it before long.


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## biggabuck (May 29, 2006)

Ive got one in my back yard see it every morn when i go to work.


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## LJay (May 29, 2006)

Nice pics Nick!!!


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## letsgohuntin (May 29, 2006)

very intresting...that's something you don't see everyday.


Aren't they somewhat rare or maybe even a protected species? Seems like I heard that somewhere, but not sure.


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## creekrunner (May 29, 2006)

Great pics, that was something to see


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## Killdee (May 29, 2006)

Great job ,they are hard to get that close to.I wonder if they were younguns.Most of my yard birds have done nested,some twice.


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## justme (May 29, 2006)

These are amazing pics!


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## Hoss (May 29, 2006)

Great photos Nic.  You were sure covered up with them.  Bet with all of em fussing at one another it was tough getting em to be still long enough to get a shot.   Keep up the good work and thanks for sharing.

Hoss


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## Vernon Holt (May 29, 2006)

Good work Nick!!  It is interesting to note the difference in your Pileateds and the mountain birds.  I have them on my place, but they are among the wildest of birds.  I see them often, but they never come around the house.

Another interesting thing, I have never seen a Pileated on the ground.  Flickers spend a great deal of time on the ground, but not so as a rule with Pileated Woodpeckers.

Did you ever hear them called "peckerwoods"??


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## leo (May 30, 2006)

*Great shots Nick*

neat the way you captured them doing so many different poses


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## rip18 (May 30, 2006)

Jiminy Cricket!  You've been busy.  I bet you are proud of that series!  Neat experience.  Thanks for sharing!


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## holadude (May 30, 2006)

Good stuff!  They are cool birds.  Sound like jungle birds!


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## GeauxLSU (May 30, 2006)

Nice Nic.  I can't even get a shot of ONE and you get THREE and in ONE pic!


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## Nicodemus (May 30, 2006)

Thanks for the comments ya`ll. That was quite an experience, and it was pure luck to be in the right place at the right time. As wild as these birds are, I think the only reason I was able to get so close was because they were so intent on each other. 
Mr. Vernon, that was a common term for woodpeckers back home. I`ve only seen Pileateds on the ground a few times myself. Flickers, or yellowhammers as we called them, seem to do a lot of foragin` on the ground, especially picked peanut fields.


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## GAGE (May 30, 2006)

Great pics Nic, and it looks like you all have an awesome fish camp as well!


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## the HEED! (May 30, 2006)

*Huhhh uh uh huh huh*

or something like that, Ol Woody and the Woodpeckers right there! COOL


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## pendy (May 31, 2006)

Enjoyed your neat pics. Nic, thanks for sharing.


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## Nicodemus (Mar 1, 2007)

Since there is some discussion about the Ivory Billed Woodpecker, I decided to bring this one back up. 

The professionals say that one way to identify them when in flight is to look at the back of the wings. They say that on an Ivory Bill, the trailin` wing edges are white, and on the Pileated, the trailin` edges are black. 

These were all Pileateds, I know, I was less than 20 feet from them at times, and all three were never out of my sight durin` the pic session. If you look at the pic in post 4, you see what looks to be a white trailin` edge on the wings of the bird in flight. That seems to be a good indicator of where folks could make a mistaken identity. The wings on that bird might look different if he was overhead, but that one was less than four feet off the ground when I took the pic. Don`t get me wrong, it would tickle me to no end if there were still some out there, but I would like to see some better pics before I obligate myself.


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## Wetzel (Mar 1, 2007)

Nice pictures...


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## DCHunter (Mar 1, 2007)

Very good pictures!


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## mikelogg (Mar 1, 2007)

ITS AMAZING HOW CLOSE YOU CAN GET TO A PILEATED WOODPECKER.I TOOK SOME PICS YEARS AGO FROM ABOUT 10 FEET AWAY FROM TWO OF THEM. NICE PICS NICK.


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## DSGB (Mar 2, 2007)

Excellent shots! I can never get that close to 'em!


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## shaggybill (Mar 2, 2007)

Whoa, that is really cool! Great shots. I bet that was neat to see.


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