Thursday, August 27, 2009

A Table…Errr, Tree For Two Please?

woodpeckers

Or how about four?  Because that’s how many of these big speckled woodpeckers were actually pecking on this tree! I TRIED to get them all in one picture. Because I knew you wouldn’t believe me would want to see it.  But I couldn’t.  They kept pecking their way in circles around the tree so that two or more were always on the back side.  It was kind of like trying to take a picture of my kids, actually.

Do you remember playing Chinese Fire drills as a teenager?  You can admit it.  I won’t tell your kids how wild you were. 

We used to play them on youth group scavenger hunts.  As I recall, it was significantly harder to do them from the back seat of a two door sports car!  And doing them in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, you had to watch where you were running, or you might get a foot full of something a horse and buggy left behind!  Not that I would know. Lol! 

For all I know, Chinese Fire Drills are probably illegal now or something.  Anyway, I digress.

My point was (I know you were wondering how I got on the subject of Chinese Fire drills when I’m posting a picture of woodpeckers), I wonder if these guys were having a Chinese Dinner party?

Whatever they were doing, I sure was happy to see them dining at this tree and not on the side of my house!  For those of you who are new to my craziness here, I had a pretty spooky experience a while back with some knocking, thanks to these guys (or girls).  I have no idea how you tell the difference, btw.  But maybe one of you can enlighten me.  That is, if it won’t make me blush.

Linked to:  Friday Foto Finish Fiesta, and Photo Story Friday.  Come join the fun and share a picture with us over there!!

16 comments:

i said...

What a feast LOL! Indeed it's a good thing they didn't choose the side of your house LOL!

Cecily R said...

I totally did Chinese fire drills as a teenager! Thought I was awesomely hilarious doing them, too. Man, I was weird.

Those birds are HUGE! I don't know why, but seeing that many in my yard would freak me out!!

Chris said...

I have ALWAYS wanted to see a woodpecker in the wild. However, I live in Utah, and we don't have any woodpeckers.

How big are they? They look huge!

Raise Them Up said...

These were Pileated (or Crested) Woodpeckers, which were about 18 inches tall.

A few facts about woodpeckers:

They have special feet with TWO backwards toes, (kind of like having two thumbs) and sharp claws, which allow them to hang on to the side of a tree.

Their beaks are long, straight and pointy, good for making holes.

And their tongues (are you ready??) are extremely long with a sharp end for spiking bugs inside a tree. Now, isn't that nice to know??

Raise Them Up said...

Oops, here are three more facts:

The crested woodpecker is the largest woodpecker in North America.

They hammer thir heads into a tree with a force of 15 mph, 20 times a second!!

Thick muscles, sponge-like bones, and a third eyelid keep bird brains intact. Hmmm.

tiarastantrums said...

can I just say that I have no idea what a chinese fire drill is??

Raise Them Up said...

Oy! I meant, they hammer THEIR heads...

Speaking of heads, I need to go put mine on my pillow!

Raise Them Up said...

ROTFL!

T~T, a Chinese Fire drill is when a car load of crazies stops at a red light and immediately they all jump out, run around the car, and try to make it back into their seats before the light turns green.

Christina said...

Wow! That's a beautiful photo. You have such interesting (and sometimes exciting) wildlife sightings/adventures. I love hearing about them.

cat said...

Great to have a bit of nature dropping in now and again.

Lisa @ Boondock Ramblings said...

What a funny story and how interesting to see so many at once!

Never did a Chinese Fire Drill....can't believe it, but never did.

kayerj said...

I think chinese fire drills have always been illegal--isn't that why they are fun? great picture and great story. Here’s my photo story. happy Friday!

Heidi said...

I used to love chinese fire drills. And ironic enough the only place I've ever done them was with a church group with adult supervison.
Great pics of the woodpeckers! We have little tiny woodpeckers pass through but nothing like those beauties!
http://cakecrumbs-heidi.blogspot.com/2009/08/photo-story-friday-jailbird.html

Candid Carrie said...

Hi! Happy Fx4 and thanks for playing along again (and again)!

Carrie

Carrie and Troy Keiser said...

It sure would have made a cool shot with all four dinners!
Ah the Chinese Fire Drill! Did one of those the other day after I decided it was much too scary to ride in the backseat while my teenage son drove! :)

Jennifer said...

Wow--those birds are huge! I've never seen a woodpecker in person before. Great pic!!