I have been very lucky of late to have the opportunity of capturing a pileated woodpecker family at their nest. The nest was in a barren tree trunk void of branches and only about 20 feet high. On top of that the photo viewing was clear of trees. The light at times was not terrific, but using a bit of flash helped. The pileated woodpecker is the United States largest woodpecker. The adults are 16-19 inches long. The males have a red line from the bill to the throat, the females is black. Around April each year the male willfind an appropriate tree to make a hole for a nest. He will then go about finding a female. Both parents incubate three to five eggs for around 16 days. After about a month the young fledge. There were only twochicks at this nest.
The male feeding its chick
The two chicks looking for their parents
The female pecking away at a tree trunk look for insects, their food
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Nancy Elwood
Nancy Elwood is a Florida based professional nature and wildlife photographer. Her interest in the natural world started as a child reading and watching National Geographic. After graduating from Florida State University School of Nursing, she developed her interest in photography travelling with several National Geographic photographers to Africa, Antarctica and the Falkland Islands. With them she started to hone her skills in capturing natures wonders through a camera lens. Nancy now, when not in the field, shows her work in juried art shows and runs photography workshops.
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