Sunday, January 30, 2011

Woody Woodpecker Sighting...



Friday was one of those back and forth to school five times during the day for various reasons, and on my way home for the 4th time, a Pileated Woodpecker flew right in front of me while I was driving on Cherry Hill Road in Middlefield. Of course, I did not excitedly yell, "Pileated Woodpecker!" I yelled, "Woody Woodpecker" and almost drove into a snow bank. (While I'm dating myself here, I won't apologize for loving Woody Woodpecker! He was my favorite cartoon character for a long time!)

I happened to have my good camera with the zoom lens right next to me in the front seat, and I pulled over to take a picture. Said woodpecker had landed in a large tree, perfectly positioned for a great shot. I rolled down the window, fumbled with the camera, and then he took off right as my toddler yelled, "Mommy, what are you looking at?"

I did manage to get a picture, but not a great one. I had to crop it on my computer or it would have been a fantastic "where's Woody?" exercise. In any case, I've never seen a Pileated Woodpecker in the eight years I've lived in CT, so it was a nice moment in the middle of my crazy day. Here's to hoping you find your Woody Woodpecker this next week!


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5 comments:

  1. UnknownJanuary 31, 2011 at 8:16 AM

    Were you lucky enough to hear its distinctive call? (It's much like Woody's!)

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  2. Jane HarrisJanuary 31, 2011 at 8:19 AM

    That's a great area for pileated sightings. The woods in Wadsworth Falls State Park and Long Hill Estate must be home to a lot of them, although it's more common to hear than see them.

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  3. AnonymousJanuary 31, 2011 at 10:18 AM

    Thank you for sharing this JAM - they are rare and that is truly a special sight.

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  4. AnonymousJanuary 31, 2011 at 11:56 AM

    I have one that visits my feeder in the South Farms part of Middletown quite often. They are impressive looking (and sounding) birds!

    ReplyDelete
  5. JackJanuary 31, 2011 at 6:25 PM

    As the Pileated Woodpecker flies, I live less than 2 miles from Cherry Hill Road. Twice during the past year, most recently in October, I was fortunate enough to see one in a dead tree in the woods next to my house. I had seen one for the first time a few years earlier. So that makes 3 sightings in 22 years at this location. I get a lot of woodpeckers at my feeders, but not the big guy. Anonymous at 11:56 a.m., what is in your feeders?

    ReplyDelete

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