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!