Pileated Woodpeckers

We were up at Eunice's cabin on Batchawana Bay. She had quite suddenly developed rigors and a temperature and was sick enough so we called EMS. While waiting for them to come, standing out by the road, I heard and then saw a pileated woodpecker on the telephone pole on the north end of her property. It then flew right past me, very close, and a second pileated came out of the bush and both were wild and crazy for a few minutes. The strong eastern sun came across the bay and highlighted their brilliant red crests. They were in a some kind of bird frenzy, flying madly about, up and down and all about, in the nearby birch tree, on the ground, vocalizing all the while.

The evening before, I had sat on the porch and saw a chestnut sided warbler, waxwings, and a vireo all in this same area, and all within a couple of minutes of watching. One of these visits, I will go up there and devote a day to birding. Eunice and Bill saw a great grey owl last year; it flew across the road right in front of them!