SOUTH SHORE YMCA NATURAL SCIENCE CENTER

The Big Guy Has Arrived

Posted: May. 05, 2015

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For about a decade now, Wompatuck State Park has been the place to be to see a Pileated Woodpecker on the South Shore. It was always a matter of simple math as to why they were not here. Big woodpeckers need big trees. For the last 140 years or so, the South Shore has been reforesting, returning from agricultural land to forests. For most of the past century, our trees were just not big enough.

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Now they are, and apparently some of the trees at the South Shore Natural Science Center have become enticing to the red-coiffed wonders. For the third time in less than a year, a Pileated Woodpecker has been spotted on the grounds off Jacobs Lane. Luckily, this time around, we had Big Ryan on campus. He caught these pics and shared them with us.

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So when you visit, keep your eyes peeled and ears open! You never know what you might find. Thanks to Big Ryan!