We here at TTLT love hearing from our supporters. That is why we hope this article is the first among many stories shared to us by you! We want to know all about your experiences with nature, whether they be funny, heart-warming, sad, or ridiculous. Send your stories to [email protected].

This week’s story was contributed by one of our long-time, loyal supporters, Jim Rule. Read on to find out about A Hairy Situation…

A Hairy Situation

“At the end of March, I was walking from the house to the barn through the woods early in the morning. Suddenly, I heard a loud squealing sound and some urgent calls coming from deep in the woods. At first I thought it might be a group of squirrels fighting over their stash of nuts, but, on second thought, the noise was too loud and high-pitched to be squirrels.

Upon closer observation, I noticed a Hairy Woodpecker halfway up a tree fighting off two Pileated Woodpeckers who were trying to force the Hairy from his territory ...unsuccessfully, I might add. The Hairy Woodpecker flew all around the two Pileated, catching them off guard because of his agility and their large size. They returned once more shortly afterwards but decided not to pester the Hairy again.

This is the first time I have seen a Pileated Woodpecker in our 5-acre woodlot! They were probably looking for a good nesting area, even though there is a 50-acre bush only a few farm fields over where they might have ended their search preemptively.

As for the Hairy, he continues to demarcate his territory vigorously, keeping all imposters away.”

- Jim Rule

A Hairy Woodpecker by Mhairi McFarlane.

 A family of Pileated Woodpeckers by Sean Brown.