Close encounters of the Pileated kind

We came home from a long day and I could hear her in through the closed up house. Ratt-ah-tatt-ah-tatt! We went in the back yard and placed CSI until we determined which tree she was in. Ratt-ah-tatt-ah-tatt! I found her, pounding on a big pine about 30 feet from the treeline. I came back and got my camera, half figuring the Monkey would have scared her away while I was gone. Nope, she was still there digging away at the bugs that were hiding in the rotten wood. I have to admit, I've never seen a bird's tongue before. :)

See her tongue? She's sticking it into the wood to help pry out the bugs!