It was a beautiful day for hiking - coastal California at its best. The water is still flowing, the flowers are blooming, and the temperature was around 75. I was going to take about a 3 hour hike at Skyline, but ended up making it about 6. Part of the reason was that I heard the loud yucka-yucka-yucka-yucka of a Pileated Wood Pecker. I spent quite a bit of time following it around through the trees, nettles, berry vines, and poison oak.
Another water-feature photo.
The poppies and lupine were exquisite.
Pileateds are really beautiful when the sun shines on their heads. I felt fortunate just to get any kind of picture, though.
Their nesting holes are large rectangular holes. They make a new one each year. Wood Ducks use the old holes for their nests.
Well, tomorrow I'm off to "The Perfect Room" and points further north. More to follow!
2 comments:
THE PERFECT ROOM!!!! I can't wait.
Or, more accurately....I can't imagine. ;)
Beautiful pileated, and sounds like a thoroughly enjoyable hike.
p.s. My word verification is "hyptosto." I would like to see you work that into The Perfect Room proceedings somehow.
Only you would have the tenacity and perseverance (some might say God-given natural ability) to get such good looks at a Pileated Wood Pecker. And is there a more enchanted place, naturally speaking, than northern California? To have such beautiful mid-March days is something the Midwestern mind has a hard time grasping. I just finished reading John Muir's "My First Summer in the Sierra" and it got me all day-dreamy.
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