A pileated woodpecker in western Maine. Andrew Hrycyna photo, via GBIF
A commotion of flapping erupted within the trees along the sting of the woods where I used to be walking last week. Then what gave the impression of a forest war cry. Plain as day in an alder thicket 20 or 30 yards away, a big black body as big as a crow with a vibrant red head.
It was a pileated woodpecker.
It sounded the war cry again. That red top, vibrant and conspicuous within the tree. A chill rippled in my back. It was as if the bird desired to be seen. I watched it work within the branches. I wondered what it was attempting to say. Then it...
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