Saving the Woodpecker!
 

Been an interesting day in the Ozarks. A little bit ago we heard a big crash...went out on the porch to see what happened. On the ground below was one of the big red headed woodpeckers. He had flown into the glass and we thought for sure he was dead. My husband went downstairs to see. He was on his back but still breathing. He picked him up and started rubbing his back....after about 15 minutes he put him down...wobbled a bit then flew off to our great joy.. Didn't even have to give mouth to beak resuscitation but he would have...LOL Not many times in life do you get to make this kind of difference... We have rescued many cats but this is a first for a bird...he is so beautiful...bird and my always caring husband.

Oh my word. So glad the bird was OK. Thank you for helping him!

What a lovely thing to do, I so love the birds.

yes i am glad the bird is ok. beautiful birds they are..glad you helped him/her

The woodpecker is beautiful. I bet it felt awesome to help him. Thanks

Your husband is a very compassionate person thanks to both of you for rescuing the birds. I have an unnatural fear of animals including birds but cannot stand to see any of them to suffer

Seeing the bird in your DH's hand makes one realize how big they are! Thank you for caring for him. :)

Jan in VA

I'm so happy you helped him! You can get stickers to put on your windows that look like owls or birds of prey and will keep the other birds from hitting the glass. Great work saving this lovely guy.

We love watching the pileated woodpeckers! They are fabulous birds! Thank you folks for saving this one!

Wow!!! They are beautiful creatures! We've had them at our feeders...they love suet and seeds....but to hold one....awesome!!! And just a bit jealous!!

We have lots of woodpeckers in our yard. We have woods behind us and we feed all the birds that come around and throw out food for the squirrels too. I buy gormet bird seed year around and get lots of birds. Feed the finches and hummingbirds also. I spend almost as much money on birdseed as I do food for us. People can't believe the large numbers of birds we have. I buy food for the smaller birds too.
We have had birds fly into our windows too, none died, except a dove. I'm glad the woodpecker recovered.

I have a relative that lives in the Ozarks and a few weeks ago she posted a picture of one of these beautiful woodpeckers that they managed to get a picture of. We have one that hangs around our house too. I had never seen one until about 4 years ago. I looked out my window and there it was on the tree. My camera was right there and I got a picture of it through the window. Haven't been close enough since. I'm glad you saved the one near you.

We have a woodpecker who has adopted us for years. Not sure how long they live. Yesterday I looked out the window and a robin was hanging from his feet in the tree outside our bedroom window. My husband went out to get him and he was still alive. he cut the string and he flew off but had a broken leg. He was tangled in landscaping string. This was all through our tree and the red flags were still on it. He got that out of the tree too. Hope the little fellow is gonna be alright. At least he can fly.

The original "Woody woodpecker".....have seen 4, heard many....they are beautiful

Thank all of you for your responses. It is so wonderful to be a part of a community that celebrates life and creativity. Although I don't post much I read for two hours each morning...Seems like the older I get the less I have to say..but you guys are easy to share with because of the positive and caring attitude.

My DH hands have been there over the 32 years we have been together, caring, loving, and giving back to nature all that he can. Up until the last few years we bought tons of bird seed and dog food for the raccoons, and adopted abandoned strays. We have learned so much from them. Once he spilled cat food juice on his socks then unthinking slipped on some sandals to just go out the back door for a minute. He was taking out dog food when one of his favorite raccoons went for his toe thinking it was food and he got a bad bite. Couldn't stand to round up the raccoon population so he chose the rabies shots which were no fun but much better than the old days....now with the rise in prices we can no longer afford to take care of any extra..I think we spend more on cat food than on our groceries. We are on a VA Disability Pension that has not kept up with inflation....LOL

Again thank you for reading and sharing. Cecelia

What a beautiful bird, your husband did a wonderful job! Thank you, from a nature lover!

I love the pileated woodpecker. I hear them often but don't often see them. There used to be a big tree stump in the back of where I live and one day I got the opportunity to photograph one. I was thrilled. Sadly, someone decided to remove the stump. The woodpeckers love dead trees and stumps as they are a gold mine of things to eat.

Another day, I live in a condo, and there is a three story stairwell where birds often get trapped on the upper level. A neighbor knocked on my door because that was the case and she didn't know what to do. Well, I've rescued birds like that before. You need to throw a towel over them, scoop them up, and release them down the stairs. Except I'd always done it with little birds. This one was a Flicker - another woodpecker variety - and they are HUGE. I managed to get him to safety without getting either of us injured but I admit I was more than a little intimidated. No pictures this time! :D

My hat is off to your husband - that pileated is one big bird and could do a lot of damage if he wanted to.

Wow! I would be afraid of raccoons. I'm glad he took the precaution of getting the rabies shots although I'm sure they were no fun!

Beautiful bird. Good for you for caring.

Great story!

Hello and welcome to the QB from a fellow SW Missourian! I am in Lebanon - what city are you near? We also feed the birds year round. Have many different kinds of woodpeckers eating our homemade suet. But will quit making it as it does "melt" in the summer heat.

Love those woodpeckers! We have several varieties, including the Flickers. Thanks for a sweet ending.

Great story! Glad it's okay.

Thanks for sharing this lovely rescue story. Hat's off to your DH for his successful care of the bird!

Thanks, sparky's_mom for posting your picture, too.

God bless your DH for saving that beautiful bird! Thanks for sharing the pic!

My hat is off to your husband - that pileated is one big bird and could do a lot of damage if he wanted to.[/QUOTE]

He said he thought about that laughing but that it paled in comparison to the lion...Don't know if I should add this now but it is just too funny...Amazing things happen to this man!

We moved to a small town years ago in Texas. He needed some things from the lumber/hardware store...parks the car.. gets halfway to the door when he sees customers holding the door shut with terror on their face...knows he didn't dress all that well, checked to see if he had remembered to zip up...when they start pointing behind him...He turns and sees this adult male lion trotting toward him...can't get in the store...can't get back to the car...Said that was it.. he knew he had survived Viet Nam and Dallas only to be eaten by a lion in the boonies..dropped to one knee and said "here Kitty, Kitty". The lion had been adopted by the business owner from a circus and gotten out of his cage. Thankfully the owner was hot on his trail and saved the day... and DH

He said he thought about that laughing but that it paled in comparison to the lion...Don't know if I should add this now but it is just too funny...Amazing things happen to this man!

We moved to a small town years ago in Texas. He needed some things from the lumber/hardware store...parks the car.. gets halfway to the door when he sees customers holding the door shut with terror on their face...knows he didn't dress all that well, checked to see if he had remembered to zip up...when they start pointing behind him...He turns and sees this adult male lion trotting toward him...can't get in the store...can't get back to the car...Said that was it.. he knew he had survived Viet Nam and Dallas only to be eaten by a lion in the boonies..dropped to one knee and said "here Kitty, Kitty". The lion had been adopted by the business owner from a circus and gotten out of his cage. Thankfully the owner was hot on his trail and saved the day... and DH

Thank you NikkiLu...We are in Shell Knob...

That is precious!! He is a big guy! Husband is a treasure! If more men/people were that caring, what a world this would be!! Thanks for sharing.

Here, Kitty, Kitty? Too funny! :D

Woodpeckers are so pretty! We have a few around here and I enjoy watching them.