Sometimes the best kept secrets in a forest are the loudest. Black-backed woodpeckers (Picoides arcticus) often forage on trees blackened by wildfires. Due to their lack of color other than black and a bit of white, these woodpeckers are remarkably well hidden. But this black-backed woodpecker was in the healthy forest surrounding the Godfrey Glen Trail and it was still hard to find. I followed it with my ears, listening and changing direction until I found a tree that seemed to be the source from which the rhythmic knocks were emanating. Voila, with a little patience, I found this illusive but not-so secret noise maker. #CraterLakeNationalPark #Nature #CraterLake #Forest #WildLife #healthyparks #birds NPS video 2022/Mimi Gorman [This is a 19-second video of a black-backed wood-pecker amongst branches and lichen mid-way up a tree. The woodpecker pounds at the tree trunk multiple times searching for insects and then takes a few steps forward to repeat.]