Pileated Woodpeckers are the largest woodpeckers here on the Mendonoma Coast. They are so very striking and their calls are unmistakable. Craig Tooley recently found this male Pileated working on a tree with its very powerful beak.

You can see bits of bark flying as he uncovers a nest of tasty carpenter ants, his favorite food.

To hear their call, here is a link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Pileated_Woodpecker/sounds

They often call while flying. Peter Baye told me these woodpeckers also like Concord grapes. Peter grows them and leaves some of the crop for the Pileateds. He said they will often gorge upside down!

Thanks to Craig for allowing me to share his photo with you here. To see much more of Craig's nature photography, here is the link to his website: http://www.ruffimage.com

It's sunny, breezy and cool today. In a walk in the forest today, I noticed the ponds of water in a seasonal creek have gotten deeper from the recent rains.