When it comes to great spotted woodpeckers, until today, I've always been the one who's going "WHERE? WHERE?" whilst someone else is saying "Surely you didn't miss that one".
So, imagine my surprise and delight on getting a wonderful view of a hen woodpecker this afternoon. I've been visiting my father,who is a keen photographer, in Malvern this weekend . He and my uncle have constructed a hide in a friend's small orchard. I went down to the farm with my father this afternoon, to help him top up the bird feeders before it got dark. There were a few forms darting about in the nearby branches as we filled the various seed holders up - we could hear great tits, blue tits and gold finches. We went into the hide to see if any of these small birds would come in once we'd hidden ourselves. Barely had we sat down when a gorgeous hen great spotted woodpecker landed on the peanuts, about 10 foot away. She ate her fill for around 5 minutes, occasionally chasing off cheeky blue tits who got too close to her. Then she flew away and we left.
The photo is not of her, but a juvenile male woody who got into the habit of visiting Dad in the summer, until he moved on to a more permanent territory. He's sat in a bamboo, in the back garden.
5 comments:
Wow, that is an amazing picture. What a fantastic experience. Can we all come round to your dad's friend's place, please? I'd love to hang out in a hide. And in an orchard as well - bliss!
Woodpeckers! Love them! Wonderful photo, he posed so nicely for his portrait. I did get my bird book out to compare this beauty to any we have in the Southeastern US! I wish you could see our Pileated Woodpeckers! Gail
Victoria, orchard is rather a grand name for the rough patch, but the birds make up for the cold & mud!
Gail - love the Pileated Woodpecker - looks just like Woody Woodpecker, and according to Wikipedia was the inspiration for him!
Lovely birds aren't they, and they run up and down trees like clockwork toys. How nice that you finally saw one.
From the title I was expecting a post about the Norwegian Blue Parrot. Lots of woodpeckers visit my garden, but I can't ever get a good shot as they are always high up in a tree with tons of branches in the way.
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