Last week while I was watching some of the songbirds that were enjoying the offerings at the feeding station, I heard a large woodpecker drilling on a tree out in the woods. I’ve had several red bellied woodpeckers and a downy woodpecker coming around just about every day for the past couple of weeks, but this one sounded larger. I was hoping that it was a pileated woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus), but I couldn’t see it anywhere. After a bit the drumming stopped, and I assumed it had flown off. Then, suddenly, in flew this lovely guy, who landed on an old oak that has several dead branches and happens to be right beside where I put the food out. Needless to say, I was thrilled. I see pileated woodpeckers flying around in the area fairly frequently (their large size and undulating flight is unmistakable), and many of the trees show evidence of their presence, but I don’t get to see one so close very often. The woodpecker must have been finding a decent supply of insects and grubs because he worked his way around that limb several times, and I could see him sticking his beak and his tongue into the holes. Then, as suddenly as he had arrived, he was off to another tree on my neighbor’s property to continue his search. Even though there were lots of other birds out that day, getting to see this guy so close really made it a great morning.