Pileated, snow, Home

Ah, March. Yesterday was butterflies and amphibians; today is cold and heavy snow. Incipient spring is back in hiding and there are even a few rumors of a genuine nor'easter in a few days. Guess I'd better get the snowshoes and cross-country skis out of storage—and make sure the suet is well-stocked for the needy, who, no doubt, figured that the living was going to be easier. I think one of the local Pileated Woodpeckers may have been among the partakers, because when I came downstairs this morning and looked out at the increasingly white scenery, the amazing, crow-sized bird was close to the top of the maple that holds the suet cage. Such direct visits are pretty rare, and by the time I affixed the Sigma supertelephoto to the dSLR, the amazing bird had made a quick trip to a nearby oak. Still, with the big lens steadied on a new monopod—thank you, B&H Photovideo "Deal Zone"—I was able to bring the Pileated in close and capture him working a snag for Carpenter Ants. Eating suet, I'm sure, would have been easier, but his sharp beak sent wood chips flying as he made quick work of the dead wood, found a colony of sleeping ants, and dined on his favorite food.