Local Birding: The pileated woodpecker

The pileated woodpecker, about the size of a crow, can be found around Birch Bay, Blaine and Point Roberts. They eat mainly carpenter ants or woodboring beetle larvae, either from fallen deadwood or drilling into trees that their large claws allow them to climb. Often heard but hard to sneak up on, they "hammer" at 18-26 beats per second and close their eyes before each strike. Well-adapted to hitting hard, a spongy skull, a cushion of cartilage where their skull meets their jawbone, and a brain positioned tight against the skull avoids damage as they hit. You may hear and see pileated woodpeckers on field trips during the Wings Over Water Northwest Birding Festival, Friday, March 15 through Sunday, March 17.