Pileated woodpecker

One of my favorite birds to watch is the pileated woodpecker.  Usually if one is around the mate is close by.  They call to each other as they feed on the larvae in the dead lodge poll pine.   It is their calling and loud pecking on the wood that first draws my attention.  Then as I watch them they toss large pieces of wood five feet away.  Along with the beetle larvae, they eat insects, fruit, and nuts with carpenter ants being their favorite food.

In the spring, the pileated woodpecker builds a nest by chipping away at a dead tree.  The nest is about a foot or more deep and lined with wood chips holding about 3 to 5 eggs.  They do not reuse their nest but build a new one each year.  Other birds then make their nest in the pileated woodpecker's old nest. 

The pileated woodpeckers are large birds of about 15-18 inches in length.  They have a big red crest that reminds me of the cartoon character, Woody Woodpecker.  Besides in my yard, the pileated woodpeckers are located in Canada, eastern United States, and the northwest United States south to California. 

I chose their drumming rhythm to make into a percussion piece.  It is a body percussion piece including stomping, clapping, and patting.  The second section of the piece tells about the bird, "I'm a black bird with a bright red crest.  Drilling holes, finding ants, and beetle larvae too.  Drill my nest in an old dead tree."  Along with several common sixteenth note rhythms, accents and crescendos are also covered in this piece.  It is especially fun to play with three different surfaces such as pans or boxes.  This a just one of six pieces I composed for this book.