Hello, Beautiful Red-Headed Stranger!

It was morning, which is apparently the best time for getting the GOOD bird sightings around here. For we saw our first hummingbirds on Monday, first thing: at 7 a.m. the first one arrived, and the second one at 7:20. I got a few shots of one on this day, but I want a better shot before I share any.

Anyway, it was morning and my husband was standing in the kitchen hollering that I should COME SEE THIS HUGE BIRD WITH A RED HEAD! And so I did. And this was what I saw out the window: a very large woodpecker, pecking like a fiend at the remains of the "hero tree" that saved our house on several occasions from other trees that fell. Every once in a while, I'd look out to see sawdust and pieces of wood flying up in the air!

Say hello to the pileated woodpecker, which is our largest woodpecker in Pennsylvania. It has a beautiful red mop-top, and this one has a red streak along its lower face, which indicates it is a male of the species! They are attracted to dead or dying trees, of which we have plenty. The ID info at the first link says they are the size of a crow, but this one was MUCH bigger than that. I swear, it was half as tall as ME!

Welcome, welcome, beautiful red-headed stranger!

My soundtrack song is for my sister Barb, who absolutely ADORED Willie. And this is one of his best. Ladies and gents, Willy Nelson, with Red-Headed Stranger, live at Austin City Limits in 1976.