Knock on wood: Instead of singing to declare their territory, woodpeckers drum on trees and other resonant surfaces. Several structural adaptations protect the birds’ brains…
Head Banging Curiosity
Ivory-Billed Woodpeckers
Although the last undisputed sighting dates to 1944, some experts still question whether the ivory-billed woodpecker, shown here as a taxidermy mount, should be declared…
Red-Headed Woodpeckers
What’s black and white and red all over? Here in the TriCities’ corner of the natural world, not a lot. But the red-headed woodpecker is…
Woodpeckers
With apologies to Edgar Allan Poe, I offer you the following recap of my Thanksgiving weekend: While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a…
Hairy Woodpeckers
Although the word “hairy” isn’t itself inherently bad, it’s often used to describe something that is less than ideal. A hairy situation typically is one…
Characteristics of Pileated Woodpeckers
This male pileated woodpecker shows off his massive beak, which is used for excavating food as well as nest cavities from dead trees. (Photo credit: BryanHanson at MorgueFile.com) Characteristics of Pileated Woodpeckers December 22, 2017 Last week in this space we pondered the presence of the pileated woodpecker, Dryocopus pileatus, here in Kane County. Only
Have you spotted a pileated woodpecker?
The crow-sized pileated woodpecker has been appearing in our area with increased frequency. If you’re not lucky enough to see the bird itself, you can still search for its distinctive excavations on dead trees or fallen logs in rich woodlands. (Photo credit: BryanHanson at MorgueFile.com) Have you spotted a pileated woodpecker? December 15, 2017 So
Woodpecker Follow Up
Tick tock, tick tock, Merrily sings the clock. It’s time for work, it’s time for play And so it sings throughout the day Tick tock, tick tock, Merrily sings the clock. This English nursery rhyme was a part of my early elementary education, and maybe yours too. But believe it or not, it may be
Woodpeckers
Pam’s Perspective Pam Otto is the Manager of Nature Programs and Interpretive Services for the St. Charles Park District You’d think I’d know when to leave well enough alone. But no… Even though the number of phone calls and emails I’ve received regarding woodpeckers has now surpassed the number of calls I get about rodents—the
Woodpeckers
St. Charles Park District Nature News – April 17 My dad was a big fan of the 1950s sitcom The Honeymooners. (So big a fan, in fact, that he wouldn’t pick up my mom for their weekly Saturday night date until after the show was over.) It follows then that, by association—and maybe genetics—I too