The other day, and when I say the other day what I really mean is, a few years ago my wife and I were watching TV. Unknown to us there was a drama unfolding right in our own backyard.
It started simple enough. A bird or a squirrel was loudly letting its feelings known. Living in the woods as we do, we often here such noises and usually they fade into the background of whatever it is we are doing. During the show we were watching this was easy but when the commercial came on whatever was going on outside became increasingly annoying. By the third commercial we realized the commotion outside was not slowing down, it was getting worse, but still we were able to ignore the noise, mostly. During one commercial my wife finally voiced what we were both thinking, “Jeeezuussss! What the hell is that noise?” Once the words were out, all the focus was on that sound there was no way to push it back into the background. I had to go out and look. As I headed out the door my wife said, “It almost sounds like a bird trying to coax its young out of the nest.”
The problem with locating the source of a sound in the woods is the woods themselves. Sound bounces off the trees and the animals tend to move around. But this sound was constant, loud and annoying. It took seconds to find the source. Once found it was no longer annoying. Two baby pileated woodpeckers were in a hole in a tree calling for mom/dad. I bolted inside to get the video camera and told my wife what was happening. She followed me out the door. From the size of the little birds I was thinking my wife was correct. The parental units were trying to coax the little ones out of the nest. I was hoping against hope to capture their first flight on camera. I never did, but what I did capture was amazing.
I did not get the story in one take and I can’t figure out how to combine the segments so I’ll just post all five segments separately. I’d start with the first and work your way through till the end. The whole thing lasts about five minutes. Sorry about the bumpy ride but the ending is worth it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYNyDHUF_Sg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HA6Ta70TNsk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=971x9uMu9K8
PanningForGold 
Very cute and exciting! I enjoyed that!