Woodie & Woodina, 2009

The big excitement of the weekend is the sighting, finally, of a female woodpecker hand in hand, so to speak, with our male woodpecker at the woodpecker tree, where each year woodpeckers nest. We have been waiting and waiting for Woodie to get a gal, and now she is here at last! There has been a lot of activity at and in the tree; yesterday and today we have heard pecking coming from inside the tree, as though they are adding on another room in there. Just now, in my chair at the computer from which I have a view of the tree, I saw Woodie's head poking out from the hole, moving in and out, and when Woodina flew over to the tree, he came out, they hung out for a few minutes on the tree, then he flew away and she went in. Could there be eggs in there already, or are they just getting ready?

I have no photos of them yet; they are being very sly and cautious at the least sign of movement from we humans.