Urban Changes

I haven't driven down the actual street where the Sarasota bald eagles live in about seven months.  So, when I stopped under the nest the other day something seemed different.  Then it struck me.  The old wooden utility poles, where I captured these two woodpeckers last spring, now look like this: 

They're encased in concrete.  And, I didn't see any birds -- definitely not any woodpeckers -- flying around.

Also, the flat tops, where I captured this shot of one of the Eddies with his roadkill rack of
ribs, have been covered with this:

A pointy metal cap which certainly will discourage the Eddies, and other birds, from roosting.  I'm not sure why the utility company made these changes.  Recently, a structure fire broke out under the eagles' nest.  So, I'm wondering if some utility lines were damaged and the company decided to make the modifications when replacing the lines.  Who knows?!  Besides woodpeckers, I regularly saw bluejays, and cardinals here and once I even saw a red shouldered hawk.  It used to be the most unexpected urban bird oasis.  I wonder if they'll return...

Dead On

Invariably, the only time the entire SDP staff agrees to opt for black and white is when the image involves a dead tree. It always seems appropriate. Although this tree at Urfer Family Park appears to be dead, there's a lot of life on it. It must be crawling with bugs, because a woodpecker is pecking away at it incessantly whenever I visit Henry and Henrietta (the red shouldered hawks) in the evening. If you view this photo closer, you'll see Woody in the upper left hand corner sitting at the top of the limb blending in quite nicely.

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Granted, I could not see the rose color that's supposed to be on this woodpecker's belly to indicate that it is indeed a red-bellied woodpecker, but after scouring through my trusty Birds of Florida manual, I've determined it cannot be: a pileated woodpecker, downy woodpecker, hairy woodpecker or a red-headed woodpecker, which leaves the red-bellied. Anyway, I heard this little fellow pecking on a branch at Selby Five Points Park in downtown Sarasota.  Affter staring upward for awhile, I finally spotted him. Even with that shock of red, he wasn't easy to locate. One of my loyal followers in Houston (who happened to miss her flight from Tampa back to Texas due to a triple overtime football game - oops!) mentioned she recently saw a beautiful woodpecker and wished I would have been there to capture the moment.   Well, I missed that one....so, I offer this red-bellied instead.

Pileated Woodpecker (aka: Woody)

I've mentioned before that I see a lot of amazing winged creatures along Fruitville Road, a busy 2-lane road. As I was cruising along in heavy traffic last week, a splash of red caught my eye. Actually, two splashes of red --- on a utility pole. After turning around, parking and stalking, I saw this eyeball peering at me. And, then, the creature cautiously poked its cute little red head out to see what was going on.

This is a male pileated woodpecker. The males, I've learned from my trusty Birds of Florida field guide, have an extra red stripe along their jawline. While he was peering out, his mate swooped in from seemingly nowhere... 

...and poked her head in to see how things were going at the homestead. Clinging to the side of the pole... 

...she seemed to ponder her options.  (Or perhaps she was shocked at what she had seen inside: 'He could at least tidy up while I'm away hunting for ants.')  I think Mr. Woody Woodpecker warned the Mrs. about the creature outside with the really long beak (aka: photographer) and shooed her away, because she suddenly left and he ducked inside. ('No more photos, please.  Thank you...and, good day!')  Now, whenever I see a gaping hole in a utility pole I can't help but wonder what's going on in there.  (My cartoon brain seems to shift into overdrive seeing pileated woodpeckers.)   What a fun encounter!  By the way, tomorrow we'll return to the Chalk Festival, as promised.