Pileated Woodpecker female

When I was editing this photo late last night, I realized that this PiIeated Woodpecker was the one that has a brown forehead. After seeing a couple of photos in the last few days that were taken by someone else, I had told myself to keep an eye out for this female. Once I got to the park, I had totally forgotten about it, so I was pleased to see that I had seen it on 24 January 2015, without realizing that it was different. The dark shape above this bird was the male Pileated - great to see a pair working together on the same tree.

This day, a Saturday, turned out to be a great day for also seeing the tiny, popcan-sized Northern Pygmy-owl in Fish Creek Park. For once, I was up really early so that I could go on a birding walk, which was being held at the same location. Other than the usual Black-capped Chickadee. Nuthatches and Downy Woodpeckers, the three main birds that we saw were these two Pileated Woodpecker (a male and a female together) and a very distant Cooper's Hawk. When we were at the furthest spot, we got news that the Northern Pygmy-owl had appeared. Needless to say, we joined the photographers who were all lined up with their enormous camera lenses pointed upwards.

About three (!) hours after getting back to where the owl was and seeing it on several different branches that were not particularly easy to photograph, it suddenly flew down to the mass and tangle of bushes right where all the photographers were now standing. A few people knelt or lay down in the cold, melting snow so that they could get a better view through the thin branches. There was no way I could do that, so my view was not as good. However, as far as actually seeing the owl at such close quarters was concerned, it was a great chance. All my photos, except maybe two or three others, were no good at all and need to be deleted : ( It was amazing to see this tiny bird of prey up close, and it was really good to see how at ease it seemed. It then caught a Meadow Vole and flew up into a thin, forked branch where it posed beautifully along with its catch. Haven't looked properly at the photos I took of this last pose, but hopefully one of them will be OK.

After about four hours of standing around, it was time to go home, especially as I had originally arrived at the park for the 3-hour bird walk seven hours earlier! Some people do this all the time and I don't know how they are able to do so. It requires so much patience, and I'd never be able to do it if it weren't for friends to chat with while waiting and waiting.

www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/pileated_woodpecker/id

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pileated_woodpecker