Today's Score - - The Pileated Woodpecker

Copyright 2014, CABS for Reflections From the Fence

Today was one of those strange ones. Man and I started out with Plan A.  It morphed to Plan B.  Mr.G, the elderly yorkie was a bit persnickety when it came to lunch, and soon, we morphed to Plan C.

Plan C = a return visit to the Hillsborough River State Park.  It is fairly close. Our last visit I was really hobbling from the ankle booboo, now I am sorta hobbling.  I am mending.  First trip, we totally missed the Suspension Bridge built in 1936 (more on that in another post).

So, we decided our abbreviated day, Plan C would be a walk to the Suspension Bridge and ???

[The back story, several times for the last month or so we have heard a woodpecker here at the park, knock, knocking away on a tree.  I gave it little thought, we have woodpeckers at the stick built in SE Michigan.  However, this morning I saw the culprit, and it was not the little 4 or 5 inch dudes and dudettes we have, it was a pileated!  I could not get a photo, he took off and the clouds were low, light was so wrong.  I have been hoping at some time I would see one, get to shoot it.  The last time I saw a pileated was 2002!  And, the photos, were AWFUL!]

So, back to today.  We found the suspension bridge, went across and walked a path that eventually led back to another bridge and back to Jolly in the parking lot.  Almost to the end of the path there was signage stating the facts about pileated woodpeckers.  And, then, Man spotted it!  And, I had my chance.  Sony Too was OFF.  Of course!

With shaking fingers and bated breath, I got off four shots!  Here they are!

And, the zoom!  LOTS of zoom!  We were not that close, Man estimates about 65 feet.  I'll have to go with his guess, I am horrible at measurements like that.

Was there a good bug in that hole??

Tee hee, hear Carol giggle in delight!

One more off the bucket list!  That said, I'll shoot again if given the opportunity!

Got me a pileated!  Yes, I did!

.