Pileated Woodpecker!

Kenneth and I spotted this gorgeous Pileated Woodpecker today at Highbanks Metro Park. He was about thirty feet from the path on the Dripping Rock Trail. I think he was looking for food as he pecked away at the tree. He kept shifting his weight and turning to look in the hole he was creating. 


I was really excited to spot this guy - I think of Pileated Woodpeckers as my and my Mom's bird. They're her favorite species and she's really good at identifying them by sound. Every time we've seen them together we've heard the call and I've thought "I should know what that is" and my Mom says "It's a Pileated!" 

We stood and watched the woodpecker for about ten minutes.  I frantically snapped photos (so many that I ran out of memory card space before we finished our hike!) and pointed the bird out to other hikers. Kenneth eventually convinced me that we should finish our hike. A few minutes later when stopping at a crossroads in the pathway, we realized our trail marker for the Dripping Walk Trail was this yellow Pileated Woodpecker. I think our awesome sighting today was meant to be!