Travel Challenge Answer February 2008
Filed under: Travel Challenge by on 2/28/2008
Thanks to everyone who took a shot at our mystery creature. Here is the revealed photo:
Congratulations to Alison for correctly guessing Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus)! This particular one was pounding on a tree near our campsite on Jekyll Island in Georgia. The Pileated is the largest woodpecker in North America (if you exclude the possibly still alive Ivory-billed) and even had a cartoon character modeled after it, Woody Woodpecker. Lance and I were amazed by the huge divots that they carve into trees during their search for food. They use their beaks like shovels to flip bark and wood out of their holes. What a lot of work!
Clear view of a Pileated Woodpecker:
Photo of the holes these Woodpeckers make in trees:
Somehow, I missed seeing this photo so I didn’t enter a guess this time. We love this big bird! One of these guys landed on a tree right outside our RV window, about 3 ft. away and left me speechless! They are amazing. Karen
Dang, I thought it was the Flying Spaghetti Monster wearing camouflage.
Karen, you lucky girl! We weren’t afforded that close of a view but we did admire them from afar.
Silly Martha, Flying Spaghetti Monsters don’t wear camouflage!