Portland Head Light, Fort Williams Park, Portland, Maine
On our way home, an overnight in Freeport. Out early the next morning I hit nearby Mast Landing Sanctuary, but it was wet, dark and buggy and the trails were unreliably marked so after spotting a Canada warbler I left to try someplace else. Really more or less by accident I ended up at Wolfe's Neck State Park. And there I had a genuine north woods experience.
Pileated Woodpecker, Wolfe's Neck State Park, Freeport, Maine
I've seen pileated woodpeckers locally but always from a distance. At Wolfe's Neck, very close to the parking area, I came across a group of three pileateds on a trailside tree. Two quickly left but one was too absorbed in a tree hole to leave with them.
Pileated Woodpecker, Wolfe's Neck State Park, Freeport, Maine
The bird was eye-level and I was able to approach to about 15 feet. See the woodpecker warn me off in the video below.
A suitable encounter to end an enjoyable natural history tour of the Maine Coast.
Bonus Quiz:
Find the plumage mistakes in the gift shop birds above.
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