Subject: Today's Biology Lesson -- the Pileated Woodpecker
From: jespah@milton.u.washington.edu (Kathleen Hunt)
Date: 1990-11-24, 21:22
Newsgroups: alt.tv.twin-peaks

From: gefrank@sdrc.UUCP (Frank Glandorf)
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In the 11-17 episode Sheriff Truman is watching a Pileated Woodpecker.
It's a rather impressive bird the size of a crow with a bright red
crest. In an earlier episode Agent Cooper finds out the large trees around
Twin Peaks are Douglas Firs. These are also impressive trees, growing
to two hundred feet. However only in the mind of TV does the range of
the two overlap:-)
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Sorry, my dear Watson, but Pileated Woodpeckers and Douglas-firs *do*
occur in the same range.  The Pileated Woodpecker (_Dryocopus pileatus_,
or "Big Hammerin' Dude") lives all across the eastern U.S., but also
has a northern population that goes all the way across Canada and down
into western Washington, western Oregon, and some of California.  It
is particularly fond of mature forests, which in western Washington very
often include Douglas-firs.  I quote from "Birding in the San Juan Islands"
(which are in Puget Sound near Seattle):

The largest of our woodpeckers is this crow-sized bird with the flaming
red crest.  Dependent on old trees for its survival, the Pileated Woodpecker
is fond of destroying termites and carpenter ant colonies.  Often it will
locate a profitable nest of these destructive insects and return to it
daily.  Its work is immediately recognizable for it chisels out large
rectangular holes and leaves piles of huge wood chips on the ground below.
One winter, while writing this book, we were lucky enough to have a 
*** Pileated Woodpecker visit a Douglas-fir ***
next to our residence every morning.  Each day we gathered enough tinder
from his scrap pile to light our wood-burning stove.  The San Juan Islands
boast an excellent population of this otherwise scarce bird.  Our Christmas
Bird Count totals are some of the highest in the state, averaging about
ten Pileateds each year.  Although it is a common breeding resident and
frequents all of the islands with mature timber, its presence often goes
undetected unless one is familiar with its powerful "kuk-kuk-kuk-kuk-kuk"
call.

So, they are around, though Sheriff Truman was lucky to see one.  They're
somewhat shy and are oh-so-stunning.  Our best woodpecker since the 
Ivory-billed bit the dust.

Jespah