Pileated Woodpecker

 Yesterday, we had a Pileated Woodpecker spending a long time chiseling away at a dying alder tree.  This woodpecker was cooperative and didn't fly away, but interfering leaves and facing the sun made it impossible to get great pictures.

North America's largest woodpecker, about the size of a crow.  This one is a male as evidenced by the red patch behind the base of its bill.

Pileated Woodpeckers dig for carpenter ants, grubs, and other insects.  

They are monogamous and the pair will defend its territory.  Since they use a nest hole only once, the holes left behind are used by other birds such owls and ducks, and also animals like martins.

I should have had a tripod.  Hand holding a telephoto lens aiming up, looking at a screen rather than being able to press a viewfinder against your head, while standing on a soft slope is a challenge (not to mention my less than steady hands).