Backyard Birding in Veneta

After spending most of the summer on the coast, I decided to move inland away from public campgrounds during the 3 day weekend! I have been in Veneta at a friends house. All week I have been getting glimpses of a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers (one of my favorite northwest birds) but I was not able to get a good pic until yesterday when a colorful and vocal male spent time right above our heads.

I have been watching Robins and Cedar Waxwings feasting on the berries of several Cascara/Chittum trees located on the property where I am staying. I did not expect to see a Pileated Woodpecker as most of my sightings of them have been where they are high up in a large tree! I was especially happy to have this one hang around long enough for me to fetch a camera and grab this photo. As the afternoon wore on, a Northern Flicker and a Red-breasted Sapsucker also flew in for a berry feast. I was hoping they would not land anywhere near my pickup, knowing how the berries from this tree affect the digestive system! Tomorrow I plan on starting my southern exodus for the winter!