This morning as we were preparing to fix breakfast I heard a familiar song among the dozens of loud voices in our yard. It was a song not heard normally in our neighborhood but one that brings the blood pressure up whenever I hear it. It was the song of a Pileated Woodpecker. I ran to the window and sure enough, a female Pileated Woodpecker was busy excavating a nesting cavity in a Sweet gum tree in our back yard. I quickly grabbed my camera and snapped off a couple of poor photos before Mr. Pileated called and she dutifully flew off to find what he had to offer.
The Pileated Woodpecker is our largest woodpecker in Indiana and rare enough that everyone has it on their must see list each year. We have been lucky enough to have them in our backyard habitat about 3 or 4 times each year but never during nesting season. Perhaps this will be the year. In Southwestern Indiana the best place to find the nesting Pileated Woodpecker is Wesselman Woods Nature Preserve, Eagle Slough Natural Area and Howell Wetlands, on Evansville's west side. You can also find them at Burdette Park and along the new University of Southern Indiana bike trail.
Spring has sprung about 2-3 weeks early in Southwestern Indiana. We set a record for a March high temp yesterday with a high of 82 degrees. This streak of "hot" weather is forecasted to last through the end of next week! WHAT'S UP WITH THAT! More and more trees are flowering and shrubs are busting out with buds and blooms. By the time the wood warblers make their way back to the tri-state the leaves will be full and we will be hard pressed to find them. The good news is that the insect hatch is really early and the birds who layed their eggs early will have plenty of good eating for their young. We need to cross our fingers, toes and eyes to make sure it continues. A hard freeze now will be catastrophic!
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