From the Carrboro Citizen Mill, By Mary Parker Sonis
Now is the time for sighting pileated woodpeckers in the Bolin Creek Forest. The branches are bare of leaves and the largest woodpecker in North America can be seen daily, excavating new roost cavities and chiseling into stumps and trees searching for the carpenter ants and other insects that are the mainstay of the pileated’s diet. This spectacular bird is a full 15 inches in length, with stark black-and-white coloration and a crest of flame red on its head. The males sport an additional red moustache that runs along the bill. If you haven’t seen one of these birds crossing the Bolin Creek trails, you have certainly heard their wild laughing cries in the canopy. Read more…
