Yearn to Wander

Pileated Woodpecker

On our morning walk, I heard a loud knock, knock, knock on a dead Ponderosa ...

It was a Pileated Woodpecker, who was busy chipping away at the bark, digging holes in the trunk, and looking for insects in the holes. He didn't seem to mind my watching for about fifteen minutes, nor Francine, our Blue/Red Heeler mix whom Tom has dubbed 'Der blaue Blitz', barking at him.

In the picture, see how he chipped away the bark and drilled holes to find insects for food. It's an example how of dead trees or snags are put to good use by other animals in another part of the life cycle.

Birdwatching around here is exciting. Beneath the bedroom window, we have a pheasant's nest. It might as well be roosters. Every morning the cock's gravelly squawk wakens us about sunrise. This morning, he kept squawking, gave away his location, and Bear, now dubbed Chien d'Ora, flushed him. I missed that photo-op, but have seen several others in the area. Most are in pairs. They're probably all Ringed-Neck Pheasants: the cocks have the usual dark head with a white neck band and mottled brown body, but one had a bright red chest.

Another pretty red bird around here is the Red Shafted (Common) Flicker. It's a variant of the Yellow Shafted (Common) Flicker at home. These variations between regions, and learning why they exist, add to my fun of watching nature everywhere, especially here in the Okanagan Valley, which causes and ooh and aah at each turn.