Hurry, Hurry

I was enjoying a walk along a nature path in late October. There had been a few snowfalls already in Alberta. Another snowfall was soon to arrive. I heard a tapping sound and stopped to look for the source of the tapping. I expected to see a woodpecker on the outside of a tree. trunk. Much to my surprise, the tapping sound was coming from inside a tree trunk. As I watched and listened, a hoary woodpecker came up from a cavity in the tree trunk with a mouthful of wood shaving. With one shake of the head, the shavings went flying and the woodpecker immediately was back into the cavity. I noticed then that shavings were spread around at the bottom of the tree. I took a lot of shots which was challenging as the woodpecker would all of a sudden show up at the edge of the hole, quickly let go of the shavings and be right back to work. There was no time to waste. Winter was soon arriving and the winter nest needed to be ready. It was fascinating.