"Five Star" (well actually a zillion stars) Hotel

Last summer my brother in law and I built a tree house for my little lovely and her pals to enjoy. Since we only worked on it one day a week, it took the better part of the summer to complete it, and we were only able to get one sleep over in it. Ever since the snow melted we've been eager to book a second nights stay at the "Four Seasons" Hotel. 

This past weekend it was chilly, but not unbearable so we decided to brave the elements, and have a "no sleep" over in the tree fort. It was a really fun night, and a really early morning. When we came out I stopped dead in my tracks. I could hardly believe the amazing sight that was waiting for us, a Pileated Woodpecker. I know it sounds really impressive that I actually know the name of this bird, but don't be impressed. I had to Google several basic words i.e.: big, black, crow, red, long beak to finally narrow it down to the actual bird name. 

Pileated Woodpeckers are nearly the size of a crow, in fact when I first saw them sitting on my lawn I thought they were crows. They are the largest of the common woodpeckers found in most of North America. They have zebra-striped heads and necks, long bills, and dynamic  red crests. They love to eat carpenter ants and beetle larvae by digging large, rectangular holes in trees. These holes can be so large that they weaken smaller trees or even cause them to break in half. 

It's a good thing that we found them in the grass and not pecking away at the tree that supports our "Five Star" (well actually a zillion stars) Hotel.