This morning when I went to the bathroom, I noticed something strange near the top of the tree that holds our suet cage. There was something that looked like a large bird pressed tight against the bark. When it raised its head slightly, I realized that it was a Pileated Woodpecker trying to make itself one with the Red Maple. I had no idea whatsoever what the normally great bird was attempting to do, but I was glad for the mystery. Perhaps the Pileated had detected a bird-eating hawk in the neighborhood. Or maybe, I thought, it was trying to listen to the heart of the maple for the chomping of Carpenter Ants that had come to life in response to overnight warmth. I never did spot a hawk, but as the woodpecker departed, I knew I was going to have to pay more attention to the internal life of that particular Acer rubrum.