The pileated woodpecker is abundant in the region (NY)

[Donna]

Most of you have probably not seen the pileated woodpecker up close, but almost every woodland in Central New York is home to one pair of these attractive birds.

 We have a pair in the 50 acres of woods we own, but they seldom come to our feeder. We do see one now and then.
 They feed on carpenter ants in winter. These ants bore into the tree at ground level or below. They dig tunnels up through the trees.

The pileated woodpecker taps the trunk with its strong bill and then listens for the ants moving about inside.
 The best clue that a pileated woodpecker is in the vicinity is a tree with large, oblong holes. The hole is usually longer vertically and surrounded by a rim of bare wood, about an inch wide. There usually will be five or six such holes in the trunk and a pile of chips on the ground that is 3 to 6 inches deep.
 A lot of research was done at the laboratory of Ornithology at Cornell University on this woodpecker by Southgate Hoyt and his wife Sally, who both published scientific papers of studies conducted in 1938 through 1942 .

 They also had a large outdoor cage with a captive female pileated woodpecker which could be observed every day.
 In eating large insects such as beetle larvae, caterpillars and large beetles, the pileated grasps the food between the mandibles and it is swallowed by tossing the head back and then manipulating the food with the tongue.

 The tongue can be extended about 3½inches beyond the tip of the bill to reach deep into a tunnel made by the ants.
 The saliva is sticky and ants can be withdrawn from their hiding places. The woodpecker can use hard blows with its bill to split off long pieces of wood which it can toss over its shoulder to the ground.

[Lord G]

Our neighborhood is basically a woodland, and the Pileateds have been regulars in our back yard.  They were a bit scarce in the summer, but have started showing up daily once again. This is one of the juveniles who's just come into his adult plumage.

[Donna]

Our neighborhood is basically a woodland, and the Pileateds have been regulars in our back yard.  They were a bit scarce in the summer, but have started showing up daily once again. This is one of the juveniles who's just come into his adult plumage.

(love them, they are so cute). Hope they stay around for a while. Thanks Jim.

[Kris G.]

We have all the other kinds of Woodpeckers in our backyard but I've never seen one of these around here-darn it!. 

[Dumpsterkitty]

We have all the other kinds of Woodpeckers in our backyard but I've never seen one of these around here-darn it!.  

These guys can be sneaky.  I saw one once in my yard probably 15 years ago, but I hear them just about every weekend.  Very loud, hollow sounding, rapid knocking.  If I hadn't watched the one I did see I might not have figured out what the sound was.

[Kris G.]

We have all the other kinds of Woodpeckers in our backyard but I've never seen one of these around here-darn it!.  

These guys can be sneaky.  I saw one once in my yard probably 15 years ago, but I hear them just about every weekend.  Very loud, hollow sounding, rapid knocking.  If I hadn't watched the one I did see I might not have figured out what the sound was.

We have a large wooded area with Black Creek running through it behind our property which probably has them in there but I've just never seen one.  I'll have to go down there and listen sometime to see if I can hear or maybe see any.  I would love to see one in my lifetime!

[Bird Crazy]

We have one well probably a pair but one at a time that flies over our house every day. I've seen it on our trees by the road and it flies to the woods on the hill behind our house. Never stops at the house though.