Great Spotted Woodpecker

[Parsons Jack]

Just happened to glance out of the window and saw a Great Spotted Woodpecker sitting on top of the rose arch in the back garden

Very unusual for around here. Only the second one in over 3 years that I have been here.

[Nature's Babe]

I hear them here everyT summer PJ, Lots of woodland around us.they are very shy and usually come to the bird table very early in the morning before most people are up.

[Parsons Jack]

I've seen lots of green woodpeckers and a few great spotted over the fields behind us, but very rare for them to venture into the gardens. Not many trees around us I'm afraid.

[Nature's Babe]

I believe there are kingfishers on the military canal, I would love to see those, but there's not much opportunity to get down there while caring for Mum.

[glallotments]

We had one on our peanut feeder a few years ago now and that is all, although I wouldn't want one during the nesting season as according to a guy from the RSPB reserve bear to us they are a worse threat to nest box birds than magpies.

[adam-alexander]

We have Greater Spotted Woodpeckers in the garden every winter and spring. (We are in NE England). They will take peanuts from the feeder and they pick over the trees for insects., etc., - Gallotments is quite correct, I'm afraid, our attractive feathered friends will readily attack nest-boxes. It can be helpful to make a metal collar to fit around the nest-box entrance hole, this stops the woodpeckers enlarging it and getting at the nestlings.

[glallotments]

Do you find that they hammer their way through the box near the base where they hear the nestlings as this is what we were told happened?

[DiG]

Great spotted woodpeckers are regulars at our feeders all the year round. At present we have at least two families. The feeders are quite close to the house so it was a lovely sight to see the parents (usually dad) feeding the youngsters.

Diane.

[Parsons Jack]

What a lovely pic Diane

[adam-alexander]

Hi DiG and Hi Gallotments,
First, DiG - great pic.
Gal. - I didn't know that. -Thanks - will keep a look out. Anyway this year we had different tennants in the n-b (see Natures Babes post re bees) - the n-b was occupied by a colony of bees.

[Nature's Babe]

Wonderful picture Diane, I wish i was as clever with a camera.

[Johnboy]

For those who are interested. In Diane's wonderful photograph the woodpecker with the all red head is the Juvenile and the one with the red nape patch in the Male the Female has no red on the head at all.
As GLA says they are very omnivorous and they can wreck a
nesting box in a very short time and they will eat not only eggs but young chicks as well.
The strange thing is that here it is generally the Female that introduces the Juveniles to the Peanuts. I cannot recall ever seeing the Male with the Juveniles. I had assumed that once the feeding in the nest was over the males just disappeared until next year but the picture has disproved that theory.
JB.

[DiG]

Thanks for the compliments but I'm afraid I can't take credit for the photograph; it was taken by my husband.

As I was writing this we had two young woodpeckers at the feeders. It was a very close shave for one of them - as I was watching, a sparrowhawk came through and took one of them. I dashed out, disturbed it and the woodpecker got away. I know it is natural and the sparrowhawk also needs to eat and feed young but ......

The sparrowhawk is a regular visitor ...... this picture was taken on a very 'misty moisty morning' last autumn. It tends to lie in wait in the cryptomeria in the background of the picture but this day chose to 'pose' for me in an open tree.

Diane.

[woodenart]

We have Great Spotted Woodpeckers that visits us daily for the free offerings, it is also the reason I had to make brass plates for the fronts of the bird boxes as they made light work of one box with baby tits inside

Green Woodpeckers are also frequent visitors.

We're in Shropshire