The owner of the property that accesses our school wetlands did some road
building and clearing so I went out to evaluate how that might affect our
spring wetland days. I had climbed up the newly reshaped and now treeless
hill when I heard this odd, hollow, metallic, BONK BONK BONK. I looked up
towards the sound and heard it again, then I saw a Pileated fly out from the
other side of the machine. I have never heard of a Pileated drumming
before, I always thought they called instead but I could figure no other
reason for the noise other than the bird whacking on the machine.

Go get em.

Rob Sandelin
Naturalist, Writer, Teacher
Snohomish County, WA