• Tuesday-What'sUP April 25 - 12:33 am

These large woodpeckers are often heard, but not seen, that is until you spot the result of all their tap, tap, tapping! Aladino Mandoli spyed this Pileated woodpecker hard at work in the Presque Isle area. Well, maybe not as hard at work as the ones that have been visiting around the area near Bill Haller's stomping grounds. Take a look at the pile of wood chips that have fallen to the ground and then in the third shot, you get to see where all those chips have come from. Now that was a busy bird!

Good Morning, Always like those pictures of these Woodpeckers

I'd say the expression "Busy as a Woodpecker" would be as
appropriate as "Busy as a Beaver." Doesn't this picture remind you
of the Woodpecker poem that starts off (I think): "The woodpecker
pecked out a little round hole..?"

Wow! I've never seen a pile of shaving like that from a woodpecker! Neat pictures!

I love woodpeckers!

That guy is not leaving much tree, always hear them but have only seen them a couple times.

We had the rare privilege of having a pair of pileated woodpeckers around here (central Indiana) a couple of years ago. Couldn't believe my eyes the first time I saw them. Very impressive birds, and to say the least...very noisy.

I have never seen a pile of woodchips like that before. We have woodpeckers here in Rochester Hills. I heard one last spring pecking at my weeping cherry tree, and I scared him off before he killed the tree. I do like to hear the pecking noise when I am camping, and KNOW it is not my tree he is putting holes in!

Kathie - If a woodpecker is drilling in your tree, that means it's after insects in the bark that are eating your tree. so next time let him peck away-he's helping.

I just received an email from a "loyal fan", who wanted to know something about birds in the Keweenaw, so since we're talking birds already, this will fit right in. Here's his question:

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Quote:

"Don't know who else to ask...Do pelicans pass through the U.P. migrating?
My brother swore he saw about 5 of them swimming in Portage Lake last week. I thought I saw one about 4 years ago but, didn't say anything because I didn't want to appear the looney.
Could you ask your pasty cammers if they have seen or heard of this?"

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I see pelicans all the time Mary, practically everyday!! ;-)

I have seen White Pelicans in North Dakota on Lake Sakakawea and in Canada on Lake Winnepeg. It wouldn't surprise me if you saw some in the Keweenaw on their way up north for the summer, albeit a bit east of their normal migration paths. I have heard there are a lot in Saskatchewan, Alberta, and as far north as the Northwest Territories.

I noticed that the bridge cam picture is several days earlier than today. Does that mean the image is actually a photograph and not a real-time camera? Who takes the picture and how often is it taken?

Thinking pelicans were southern birds we were pretty amazed at seeing one floating around on Yellowstone Lake, and thought this was unexpected. But Northwest territories? Time to re-read those birds.
Then again, many species habitats currently relocate northward, from fish to mammals to birds, so even if pelican were an uncommon sight further north, maybe they're on the move, too.

My son has seen pelicans in Torch Lake(near Lake Linden Mi. while fishing there last summer. I have heard other reports of pelicans there also.

I don't know about pelicans in the UP, but lots of white pelicans spend the spring and summer in parts of Minnesota.

While unusual, white pelicans are "accidental" to the great lakes. I agree with Capt. Paul, they are a bit east of their usual "Mississippi corridor" migration path but you guys are probably not loony. Actually yours eyes are pretty sharp!

On the other hand, if some one should report sightings of cougars training pelicans to fish for them, I might be a bit skeptical. ;>)

Yes White Pelicans being spotted in the UP more & more in recent years migrations. Usually Whitefish Point or Tahquemenon areas.
Go to www.UPBirders.org for reports ,info on these and other UP birds. Latest reports on White Pelicans listed for April 22.

Pileated Woodpeckers showing up more also in recent years down here in SE MI. A couple of definite reports right in my neighborhood but I've not yet seen it. I'm looking! Love to get a photo like above! Yes they are shy and often duck around the back side of the tree and "peek-a-boo" around to look at you. Now being sighted in the Port Huron State Game Area too! We see/have them all the time up around our "camp" in Kalkaska county (NLP)

Russ Emmons, St. Clair county

I have actually seen two cougars in the UP with my very own eyes. It was a couple of years ago on Forest Highway 16 near the Bob Lake area. It was amazing to see. They were sneaking across the road in front of me and I kept looking and trying to imagine what kind of critters had big long tails like cats...duh! They WERE cats! And they were talking with some pelicans...OK, the pelican part is not true, but the rest is.

To Maddy - all of us who contribute to the Bridge Cam page have been having intermittent failures lately...When one comes up, another seems to go down. Maybe we are playing "pass the gremlin"?

White pelicans have been spotted in the UP in recent years. There was lots of talk last year on this site about sitings, I remember some in Munising. They're white because of their diet. I think my favorite bird site is upbirders.org. Check that out for recent pelican sitings. Cindy, I saw a cougar a few years ago also. When you see one you know that's what it is. People will try to tell you you're wrong, but when you see it slink across the road with that long tail, you know it's a cougar!

Good Afternoon!

There is a nice little website from New Hampshire Public Television about the life of a White Pelican that I have listed below:

http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/whitepelican.htm

While I have never seen a pelican in the UP, I know many people that have, so everyone in the UP can't be loonie, can they???

Capt. Paul, we lived in N.D. near Lake Sakakawea, and I think I saw a pelican there once. BTW, thank you for spelling Lake Sakakawea correctly....drives me buggy when folks who've never been there, misspell and/or mispronounce the lake's name. ;-)

I got to see a Pileated woodpecker at my father-in-laws just a few weeks ago here in Anderson County TN.He is 78 yrs.old.I guess they call them woodhens down here,that is what he said when pointing it out to me.Of course my camera was at home.It would have been easy to snap afew photo's of it.He/she was on the ground.Father-in-law Cliff said he sees it often over the 20 yrs.he has been there.

I don't know about the U.P., but we have pelicans here in land-locked Colorado. There aren't a lot of natural lakes (like MI), so they hang out on the reservoirs. When the water levels drop,as they always do as summer progresses, they have a feeding frenzy on the poor fish.

kosk, yes I remember part of that poem. I think we learned it in Kindegarten or first grade. I just remember a little more. It went The woodpecker pecked a little round hole and made him a home in a telephone pole. Then there was something about the north wind doth blow and we shall have snow. Does anyone else remember any of it? The other day I heard a woodpecker and went out to make sure he wasn't working on the house.

OK Fran and Kosk, you stirred up my curiosity, so I had to do a search. Here's what I found, written by Elizabeth Roberts:

Here's how we say the Woodpecker Poem in TN but maybe up there in the UP the north wind and snow would be more appropriate!

The Woodpecker

The woodpecker pecked out a little round hole
And made him a house in a telephone pole.
One day when I watched he poked out his head,
And he had on a hood and a collar of red.

When the streams of rain pour out of the sky,
And the sparkles of lightning go flashing by,
And the big, big wheels of thunder roll,
He can snuggle back in the telephone pole.

Elizabeth Roberts

Fran, Mary and Shirley-- Yup that's the way I remember those
poems too (now that my memory's been refreshed!). Thanks.

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Did you ever see geese flying in the V shape and one side is longer then then the other side? Ever wonder why that is?