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While walking on a sandy trail within Ocala National Forest, FL, I stumbled across a Pileated Woodpecker pecking on a stump about 50 meters away. After taking a few shots of the bird on the stump, the bird flew to a dead pine tree and went inside a cavity about 20ft up. I slowly made my way to the tree, positioned myself some distance away with the best light and background and waited for the bird to emerge. A few minutes later the bird stuck its head out with a beakful of wood shavings and spat them out of the cavity. The bird continued to tidy up its cavity, spitting out more wood shavings, for quite some time. It was an incredible scene to observe and I was fortunate enough to capture the unique behavior before continuing on down the trail.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 03.2022
Date Uploaded: 12.2024
Photo Location: Ocala, Florida, United States of America
Camera: Canon EOS 7D Mark II
Copyright: © Mitch Walters