Feeding Junior...

I've been watching the tall dead Pine Tree for three years. The tree is in a neighbor's front yard and easy to see from the street. Each year this Pileated woodpecker pair has worked on carving out two perfectly round openings into the west facing side and have hollowed out the trunk in preparation for a nest site. This is the first year I've seen evidence of young. As I watched today, I saw one hungry solo male chick. Mom was working on the lower hole, see the right bottom photo, while dad was busily providing protein packed snacks for Junior. Look closely and you'll see a small red mustache on the chick, identifying him as a little boy. Pileated woodpeckers fledge (leave the nest) when they are 24-28 days old. This little one will be able to fly on his own by then but will still depend on his parents for food finding lessons. I'll try to keep you updated on his progress. Watch this space. m