From Dr. Walter Hunt, Personal Care Dentistry
The loud rat-tat-tat of a pileated woodpecker hunting bugs in the Napa Valley was as much of a highlight as the cabernets at my friend’s winery.
One of my all-time favorite birds is the pileated woodpecker, who looks like Woody the Woodpecker of cartoon fame combined with a prehistoric mini-pterodactyl. I was out for one of my regular photo jaunts, this time in the Napa Valley. My wife and I were staying with some friends who own a small winery (Black Cordon Vineyard) in the foothills of the Mayacamas Mountains during a vacation to California. It was early morning and the light was fairly low. As I walked down a dirt road separating the rolling vineyards and a dense forest, I heard a loud pecking to my right. I was familiar with the sound we have quite a few pileated woodpeckers near our Minnesota home and also with how difficult it can be to photograph them. I walked into the forest of pines and oak to get a better look, and there was Woody busily work on a dead log, happily gobbling up one bug after another. I got within 30 yards of him, propped myself against a tree, and started shooting.
He knew I was there, but must have decided the wealth of bugs was worth the risk of human contact. In fact, a couple of times, he flew up to a tree near the log, then returned for more bugs each time. I shot several photos of him with an ant in his mouth, which I have also included with this photo. But I really like this one that I have featured because he looks like he is looking directly in my camera with a You know, this is my forest and I am allowing you the privilege of taking my photo look in his eye
Do You Suffer From Xerostomia?
Do you go through life with your mouth constantly dry? Does it feel like the Sahara Desert has taken up residence in your mouth? If you answered yes, then you may be suffering from xerostomia – commonly called dry mouth. Dry mouth is caused by a lack of saliva. We