Whether north of Revelstoke along the dogsled trails, or in the silent depths of Glacier National Park, one of the most audibly-discernible birds in your snowy surroundings may be a hairy woodpecker.

Amid the peace and quiet of your woodland solitude, you might at first be fooled by the faint yet persistent drum of tree-pecking. Could the sound be a product of your imagination?

But scan 20 to 50 feet upward along the bare trunks of trees to spot this white-speckled, black-jacketed bird, hammering away in search of beetles.

It's easy to confuse this bird with a downy woodpecker, which enjoys a similar plumage and range across Canada. However, a hairy woodpecker can be distinguished by its longer beak, as well as by its preference for larger trees rather than bird feeders.

In this photo of a hairy woodpecker just north of Revelstoke's city limits, which neared the camera in curiosity, one can identify it as female based on the absence of red on its head.

A remarkable 17 subspecies of hairy woodpecker exist across North America, including half a dozen in B.C. alone.

Keep an ear out for these larvae lovers on your next walk - more than one could be pecking in the same vicinity right above your head.