Nice day for a pileated WP, and what I've been up to

We've had some nice weather lately, all the snow has melted and the birds are pairing up for nesting season. Here's the male pileated visiting the feeder yesterday:

Wow Liz, to have those birds not only that close, but actually sitting on your hand, must be quite an extraordinary experience. Great to watch too! The iphone did pretty well...

HAHA, great stuff. Now that's better than driving around wasting gas to find birds to shoot up close.

Yeah, as y'all know photography can be very time consuming, so I want to concentrate on species in my yard, setting up some nice areas for songbirds and hummingbirds, and making trips to some specific places where I'll have a good chance of getting some good shots. Volunteering is also time consuming but I'm really enjoy it! I'm also going to monitor a bluebird trail at the same nature center this spring/summer, so hopefully there will be some photo opportunities there.

Sounds like a really neat thing to do, I'm a bit envious of the opportunities. Nothing like that around here. It must be amazing to have a raptor on your arm! Keep us updated!
Karen

Very nice Liz, I sure like that Woodpecker on the feeder. Must be loads of fun getting close to these birds at the center. Keep those photos coming. I still think about your Eagle shots from Alaska, those were stunning.

Wow Liz.....the pileated is beautiful and how lucky you are to have a place like that to be able to get close to these beautiful birds.

Love the Pileated shot Liz .... and the story is even better! So cool!
I was wondering about you the other day ... now I know what you have been up to.

Thanks for sharing.

Wow Liz, A Pileated and a Kestrl in the Same Posting, Well Done!!

The work with the raptures looks like pure joy for any birder.. a fine wildlife service project Liz.

An exceptional shot of the Pileated... at first glance, it looks like he has "drilled" out a nice design in the post... beats "Woodie's" craftsmanship in the Zac-Zim bog ...

db

Great shots Liz., thanks for sharing.

Your admiration and respect for birds is obvious and very admirable. Hats off to you for all that you do for them.

Thanks all, it's a joy to see the pileated woodpeckers every day. I really hope that doing all the gardening with native plants will attract more species to my yard, meaning more photo opportunities. Volunteering at the nature center is really fun. I get to talk to a lot of people and explain about our raptors and just talk about birds in general. They also have a barred owl, but she's a little more unpredictable, so it will probably be a while before I handle her. Yesterday, I led a bird walk at a nearby community college and even though it was cold and dreary, it went quite well! I enjoy talking about birds, and it's even more fun when people are into it, asking good questions, etc. I'd encourage anyone here to volunteer in their area, whether it's a local wildlife rehab center, nature center, join a volunteer naturalist program, etc. Last year I certified as a Minnesota Master Naturalist and there are so many opportunities out there.

Nice shots, especially the pileated. You are fortunate to have these birds so close to you.

Great shots