We've been seeing very small glimpses of him for a week now..but he was so quick to fly away, we could never really observe in detail.  But...sometime within the last week my son managed to hear and remember their call.  Here's how I know....

Today, right when we were getting school started this morning, Alex jumped out of his seat and exclaimed, "That's him Mom, that's him!"  You see the window was open in our schoolroom for the first time in months because today's temperature got to a balmy 65 degrees, yes spring is coming.  I asked Alex, "That's who?"  He said, "Listen Mom, that's the Pileated Woodpecker!"  To which I looked at him rather quizzical wondering how my son could know there was a woodpecker visiting us.  "Listen Mom," he persisted.  Suddenly I heard a loud "Kic, Kic, Kic, Kic, Kic" sound (slow then faster) vibrating through the window from a short distance away.  Listen to this sound here: Pileated Woodpecker

In lickety split all three of us were up gawking out our back window into the woods.  My jaw nearly hit the floor as I saw this beautiful very large woodpecker with a stout red crest sitting on a large old log right on the edge of the woods by the creek at the bottom of our yard.  He was calling away with a loud command as if he was summoning our attention.  While he was still too far away for me to get a good photo, he sat there widdling, no drilling away at that log for a long time, giving us a great view and time of observation.  As he was starting to fly away I got a video on my camera of him, it's not a great video, but at least now I have proof!!  Just watch for movement, you'll see him!  You'll also hear my way overexcited son in the background telling me "he's ginorman," that's his way of saying gigantic and enormous together!  And my daughter trying to shush him!

 

 Alex begged me to make a paper Pileated Woodpecker outline, and he took it and decorated it.  I was amazed at the physical details he remembered and put on the outline.

He then proceeded to fly it around, with detailed and accurate sound effects and all, inside and outside all the rest of the day!