Wow. I cannot believe that I noticed this guy through the window from a place where I couldn't hear his knocking. We commonly see Downy Woodpeckers and the occasional Hairy Woodpecker, but I'd never seen anything this large (or red. lol!), so I grabbed the camera! He's in a neighbor's birch tree, and I took the photo from about 30-35 yards away, but I think it's a great shot!
According to National Geographic Field Guide to Birds of N. America:
it's a male Pileated Woodpecker, and the largest woodpecker in North America (16.5"). They prefer dense mature forest, and are uncommon outside the southeast! How cool! I'm in central NY... not too far from the Adirondack Mountains, so I guess that's where he came from....
![Image](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v627/hostajunkie/Jan10/pileated_woodpecker2.jpg)