Birders spot unusual pair of woodpeckers in DuPage Co.

Love is in the air over Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve.

At least that's the hope of local birders and DuPage County Forest Preserve District naturalists with the surprise sighting last week of a pair of pileated woodpeckers.

Although the birds are relatively common in southern Illinois, the destruction of habitat has made them a rarity in the collar counties.

Pileated woodpeckers are relative giants in the woodpecker world, standing about 15 inches in length with a brilliant red crest on their heads. Experts say they're about the same size as a crow.

DuPage Birding Club member Mike Madsen spied the two woodpeckers on Friday.

"I was thrilled," he said. "I've been looking for 30 years to see one in DuPage County."

District naturalists believe the pair are nesting in an old-growth tree in the savanna bluff area of Waterfall Glen near Darien.

"What makes it doubly exciting is that I found roosting holes," Madsen said. "I saw a huge bird poking his head in and out and continuing to excavate the hole."

Pileated woodpeckers usually make deep, rectangular holes in trees for their nests, which is why they need older species with large diameters.

"The harvesting of large lumber is one reason their habitat is scarce," district Natural Resources Director John Oldenburg said.

The district has been removing invasive species, such as buckthorn, from the savanna, which is a meadow-like area with sparse trees, in Waterfall Glen.

The hope is that the pair will breed and produce offspring next year.

"It's very encouraging. It shows the long-term benefits of recovery of the health of the savanna," Oldenburg said.

Learn more about the bird on which the animated Woody Woodpecker was based, and hear its call at nationalgeographic.com