Gila Woodpeckers and Saguaro Cactus

I always see Gila Woodpeckers on the Saguaros everywhere we go in Arizona. I don’t know how they manage to perch themselves against so many spiny needles! You even see them standing on the very top of the cactus as if they are smooth telephone poles. Believe me, they are anything but smooth!

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I came across this Saguaro in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, where there are more Saguaros than in Saguaro National Park. With the bird’s nest cradled in its arms, the birds must feel quite protected from any predators. Still, they peck holes in the cactus and make homes inside!

I saw one of them go in a hole and I waited for a long time hoping to get a photo of the woodpecker looking out, but it wasn’t to be.