Male Pileated Woodpecker Sighting ☼ Lassen Volcanic National Park

It's always exciting to spot a new bird to add to your lifelist. Especially one you've seen photos of and wonder if you'll ever get lucky enough to take some of your own.

Well, I'm happy to report that we spotted our first-ever Pileated Woodpecker while walking the trail around Manzanita Lake!

I was surprised at the sheer size of this magnificent bird. Like how I didn't realize Red-breasted Nuthatches were so tiny until I finally saw one with my own eyes, this woodpecker is HUGE!

This is a male (you can tell from the red on its cheeks that the female doesn't have) and I could have watched him peck around at the logs all day long. Other woodpeckers peck so quickly that they are practically a blur, and the Pileated chips away at trees like a big hammer. (You can see him in action in the video down below.)

Birding is such a thrill! You never know what new or exciting birds your going to come across in your travels! Of all the places in Lassen VNP we've gone birding, Manzanita Lake is by far the most fruitful. You can read more about the birds we've spotted in Lassen HERE and also over on my travel blog Vaughn the Road Again where I've cataloged all of our hikes around the park.

Let's go birding!