Pileated Woodpecker

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Pileated Woodpecker, Merritt Island 
When I was a kid, I loved to go hiking, and even though I wouldn't call myself a birder then, I still loved to see interesting birds.  Because my dad is a birder, I actually learned the call of a Pileated Woodpecker long before I ever saw one.  I still remember vividly my first time seeing one in person.  Our family was camping at Bull Run Park in Virginia; I remember telling my parents I was going to go find a Pileated Woodpecker.  And sure enough, as I was walking, maybe 30 min. later, one flew right by me, landed on a tree trunk for a second, and flew off.  I was mesmerized.  Since I announced I was going to find one ahead of time, it took a while before I convinced my family I actually saw one.  Now seeing a Pileated Woodpecker is commonplace for me.  I see them very frequently here in Florida.  But something about seeing one brings up those childhood memories.

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Pileated Woodpecker, Orlando Wetlands Park
Pileated Woodpeckers are the largest woodpecker in the United States (with the exception of the possibly extinct Ivory-Billed), and they are easily identified.  They are large and mostly black except for grey-white stripes on the face and a red crest on the top of their head.  In Central Florida, I see them frequently at Mead Gardens, Merritt Island, and Orlando Wetlands Park.  In Maryland, I've seen them many times in the Patapsco State Park.

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Pileated Woodpecker, Orlando Wetlands Park
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Pileated Woodpecker, Orlando Wetlands Park

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