A wow find

By Aaron Horrell

Nature can charm you in any season.

A quiet winter walk in the woods has the potential to surprise even if it is cold and the forest is still.

In this case, it was the work of a pileated woodpecker that gave me pause and brought a smile to my face. I arrived on the scene at the perfect time.

The woodpecker had carved out a very nice face with an engaging human-like expression.

Whether you call him a carpenter or an artist, this work was done by a bird simply looking for lunch.

The pileated woodpecker is the largest woodpecker native to North America. It can be very persistent in chipping away the decaying wood of a dead snag when it discovers ants or wood beetle worms residing in the wood.

Winter is probably the best time of year to look for the work of pileated woodpeckers.

The lack of vegetation lends greater visibility to the forest.