Pileated woodpecker pops up in Chesterton: Chesterton Tribune managing editor Dave Canright was surprised on Tuesday to run across “the biggest woodpecker I’ve ever seen in my life” in a wooded area behind his home in Chesterton. Turns out, it’s a Pileated Woodpecker, which at better than 16 inches in length is the largest woodpecker in the Eastern Region. In fact, odd reports have filtered to the newsroom over the last month or so of a fugitive Pileated, seen in Morgan Park and heard—its maniacal laughter is unmistakable—in the Downtown. Pileateds are not uncommon at Indiana Dunes State Park and in Beverly Shores but they’re not particularly known for residing in urban areas. If you see a big old bird with a huge bill, bright red crest, white wing patches, and white facial and neck stripe, then you’ve seen a Pileated. (Tribune photo by Margaret Willis)