Pileated woodpeckers

[poconoron]

Anyone else out there fortunate enough to regularly spot or hear pileated woodpeckers on an almost daily basis? I live in Pike Co. Pennsylvania where we have about 35% of the county in state or federal land and therefore protected from development. There are also thousands more acres of privately-owned hunting club lands. The lake community I live in is largely wooded although hundreds of homes are scattered among 1200 acres or so.

Nearly every day pileateds can be heard or spotted up pretty close- and have become one of my favorite bird species to watch. I'm wondering how common they are in other areas or in the ADKs? I know I've spotted them there but I'm not sure how common they are- do they do well in the now-unlogged ADK state-owned forests?

[billandjudy]

We have seen several while hiking in the Catskills, heard them often too. It's quite thrilling to see them fly through the trees---They're BIG!

[Tuchov]

I've only seen TWO ever in the capital region. They are very agressive to the Downy woodpeckers. My mom thought it was some kind of red-headed crow until we got the book out. Pity they don't stop by more, but then again we prefer the Downy and Hairy woodpeckers in our yard then one Pilated Woodpecker.

[adkmoose]

They are actually quite common in schenectady county but you won't generally see them at feeders.
They tend to stay in thick woods often higher up in the trees. It seems when ever I see one there is another close by.

[Edelweiss]

We saw a pileated woodpecker at our bird feeder last year - actually he was nibbling on a suet cake. What a magnificent bird! We live in Voorheesville (Albany County).

[Neil]

I see and hear them all the time both in the Adirondacks and in Quebec. I used to think they were rare but I guess not. They look like some sort of evolutionary leftover don't they?

[poconoron]

The pileateds that I see are never around my bird feeder and don't seem to conflict with the downy or hairy woodpeckers at all. I do have a tall dead tree trunk around 30 ft. high that they seem to work on pretty regularly. I love the wild look and sound of those birds......

[Connie Bear Orion]

They are pretty common I understand at the Green Lakes state park in the syracuse area.

I have seen a few around the ADK. Nothing ever on regular basis.

[Spitzna]

My family has property in schroon lake and by Paradox lake we see and hear them pretty regularly on both pieces of property. By schroon i usaully see one and by paradox theres always a pair of them out by the road pecking on dead trees.

[St.Regis]

They can carve some serious holes in trees ... I'm sure many critters owe their homes to these peckers .

[Neil]

They can carve some serious holes in trees ... I'm sure many critters owe their homes to these peckers .

http://neil.webcentre.ca/outdoor%20pursuits/cabin%202007/IMG_3529.html

[adkmoose]

Neil , nice looking pics , that is one sweet log cabin.

[Neil]

Neil , nice looking pics , that is one sweet log cabin.

Then maybe you'll like this

[danceswithflies]

I've seen Pileated Woodpeckers often enough near home (in the western Catskills) and in the Adirondacks to consider them uncommon but not rare, but it's always a treat to spot one.

My most memorable encounter was at Glimmerglass State Park near Cooperstown. I was hiking over Mt. Wellington when I heard the sound of excavating from off the trail. I followed the sound for a hundred yards or so and saw a Pileated busy on a large dead beech. He'd stop occasionally to look at me, but seemed otherwise unconcerned by my close presence. I advanced to not more than twenty feet from the base of the tree and made myself comfortable on a log. Soon, another Pileated showed up, and there was a brief but furious dispute about mining rights to the tree. The interloper was driven off, only to return a few minutes later and get repelled again.

All told, I must have been watching for twenty minutes or so, and when I left the bird was still hard at work, sending the chips flying.

[AdkWiley]

I seem to see Pileateds on a very regular basis. I only see them up here in the dacks, very often around my camp in SChroon but also up here in the Northern ADKs. I always complain about still having yet to see a bear, and my uncle says It's harder to see a Pileated than a bear, But i dont agree at all. As soon as you hear what a pileated sounds like (i think they sound kinda monkey-ish) and see the tell tail long oval shapped holes, They really are quite abundant. I had to do a study on them and if i remember right they dont usally go overly far from a water source and have a 2 mile teritorry range.