I have been trying to stay tuned in to the whereabouts of the pileated woodpecker pair that I posted about earlier this month. Ten days ago, I found the male making a substantial hole in a dead Douglas Fir. I wasn’t sure if he was searching for food or building a nesting cavity. I have returned there a couple of times to find him continuing to excavate the hole, so I feel that he is building a cavity for nesting. The last time I went by, he could get the top of his body inside the hole. Both the male and female excavate the cavity, but the male does more. The depth of the cavity can range from 10 to 24 inches, and it is 15 to 80 feet from the ground. It takes from 3 to 6 weeks to complete.
It is exciting to see a pair of them living and breeding at the arboretum.
