Fox Sparrow
I changed my hiking routine to see if I could relocate the Nashville and Black-throated Green Warblers that I had seen at the northwest corner of the soccer field. I looked for them, but did not see them. However, about 100 feet away at the north end of the field, I saw my first of season Fox Sparrow. I haven't seen one here in Old Trail for a couple of years, and hope that it sticks around for the winter.
Fox Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
I only saw 23 avian species this morning, but it did turn out to be a very interesting hike.
White-throated Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Carolina Wren
Carolina Wren
Red-shouldered Hawk
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Near the end of my hike, I saw a male Pileated Woodpecker eating berries.
Pileated Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
It then flew to a nearby tree, climbed up the tree, and then disappeared into a tree cavity.
Pileated Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
Did I find its nesting cavity? I heard drilling coming from the inside of the tree. Every once in a while, the woodpecker would poke its head out, and sometimes drop a large chunk of wood.
Pileated Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
And sometimes it would flick its head very quickly, and a spray of tiny wood chips would come spraying out of its mouth. This was really quick, and I was lucky to capture one shot of his doing this.
Pileated Woodpecker
I started to head for home, and then thought to try to capture this action on a video using my DSLR. I rarely shoot video with my camera, as it really isn't designed to do this well. But I did manage to capture a 7.5 second video. Watch closely, as it really happens quickly.