These birds are probably in the area more than you realize, you just don't see them often, and usually it's when they fly by...and then it's not always easy to ID them. We have Pileated here, Red Headed, Red Belied, Yellow Bellied Sapsucker, Downy and should have Hairy Woodpeckers, I think of those I have definitely seen, the Yellow Bellied Sapsucker is the least often seen. I see most of the others almost daily but don't get many pictures, all of them are pretty wary and don't let me close.
The best chance I got at shots of a Pileated was when I found a nesting pair at a park in Louisiana, went there every day for over a month and got a bunch of good shots, being in a park and around people a lot they were a lot more tolerant than the ones out here in the woods. I could get 15 feet from the tree, the nest was about 15 feet up, that's really close compared to around here, if I get within 40 yards they fly...Even if I sit still, they don't just happen to fly in and light close very often, even where I know where their favorite perches are and if I move, gone bye bye. In that park, I got lots of shots of the young ones too.
That's a good shot, the red patch below the beak says it's a male. Female will have a black stripe there and a slightly smaller crest. If you can sit still in a spot close by, don't make any sudden movements, it's time to be building a nest. Last year I watched a female building one in the woods beside our house. Never got close enough for a shot, woods too thick, low light, 60 feet up a dead pine tree...
Most woodpeckers are having a hard time due to lack of nesting spots. They prefer dead trees, usually pine. Most people tend to cut them down so they don't damage houses or power lines. The Ivory Billed Woodpecker, almost identical to the Pileated but bigger, is considered extinct, mostly due to lack of habitat. The Pileated has adapted better and is wiling to tolerate people more, so places like parks will get nesting pairs. Most other woodpeckers will get a lot closer, but often still not close enough for really good pictures...
