I had heard this male pileated and his mate chipping away across the cove from me. I had gotten distracted by a fishing osprey, when two trees away from me the thwacking got very loud. Looking up I was startled at how close the woodpecker was to me as these birds tend to be spooky around people. I got the scattering of the wood chips as the pileated drew back for another blow – so fast it blurred my next shot of him. Then his mate called out and just like that he was gone into the deeper shadows.