Pileated Woodpecker

I had been up since an hour before sunrise. I had walked almost ten miles stalking bucks and bears with forty pounds of photo gear. The air was caustic with w...
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I had been up since an hour before sunrise. I had walked almost ten miles stalking bucks and bears with forty pounds of photo gear. The air was caustic with wildfire smoke. I was tired, there wasn't a muscle in my body that wasn't screaming for a break, my eyes, nose, and throat burned, and I had just sat down in my camp chair. All I wanted to do was put my feet up and watch the coals in the fire pit as my burgers cooked. That's when I heard the unmistakable *THUNK* *THUNK* *THUNK* of a pileated woodpecker working out a meal. I took a deep breath, let out a quiet sigh, and choked back a series of groans as I got back up and grabbed the camera.
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