Pileated Woodpecker

I went outside this afternoon to sprinkle some birdseed and heard a very loud, heavy hammering sound. I sort of looked around, and spotted the hammerer on a big rotten log that The Husband had dragged down the hill from where it had been for years, covered in wisteria and honeysuckle. I hadn't wanted him to remove it because the birds liked it, but I finally said okay and when I got back from the birding festival - it had been moved. Anyway, Mrs. (no red mustache means it's a female) pileated woodpecker was going to town on it. Chips were flying! She paid absolutely no attention to me and my camera. I don't know what her intention was. Seems like a nest hole wouldn't be appropriate on a flat surface rather than part way up a tree, but she looked like she was doing serious excavating rather than picking out worms.

I hope she was paying some attention to her surroundings though, because about 20 minutes later we were inside the house and heard a CRACK and then a WHOMP. The big dying maple tree on the edge of the driveway right above the log she'd been beating on finally lost the battle with gravity. It broke off about 12 feet up it's trunk and basically 90% of what was left of the tree (it had already lost a big limb on the other side) came down. There's probably going to be some clean up needed. I do hope the woodpecker wasn't under it when it came down! It landed with some of its upper branches right on top of the rotten log.