We have Pileated Woodpeckers in the woods behind our house. I know they are there because I have seen then occasionally and heard them more often. Once, there was even one here in the yard, working on the dead part of a maple near the house.

The tree in the photo above, is one of many like it in the woods. This one is located in a marshy area, on the edge of a stream. I have lived here for years, and no fires have gone through this woods, so it is full of dead trees. Perfect habitat for birds like these. To learn more about these large birds look here.

Like most places near cities, this wooded area is growing smaller and more crowded each year. A new gas plant up the street took the other end of the woods. More new houses are being built each year. I am beginning to wonder how it will take to completely crowd out the all the wildlife?