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| Female leaving the nest |
I've been watching a tree in my local woods all through the late winter & early spring for signs of woodpeckers nesting.
The tree had several holes from previous years but I just couldn't suss out where they were this year.
Yesterday I watched from a distance yet again and was rewarded by a fleeting view of a green woodpecker. I then settled down for a more prolonged wait to see where they were going as I know it's the time that they should be actively feeding their chicks.
Fortunately I spotted the male bird on the tree and with a bit of detective work found the nesthole at 180 degrees to the previous site.
Being particularly careful not to disturb them I visited again in the late afternoon & put up my hide on a steep slope some 40 metres from the tree in dense oak woodland. It's a very quiet area and I am confident that it won't get disturbed, especially as I really struggled to fight my way to it myself!
I'm using a Nikon 500mm f4 telephoto so doing all my photography from a discrete distance which was proven right this morning as I took a few images without the birds batting an eyelid.
The light in an oak wood is getting worse as more leaves break out so it is hard to cope with the dappled sunlight. In fact I'd sooner it was dull or even raining as the sun is burning out the highlights & yellowing up all the greens.
Here's a selection from my first couple of hours, hopefully I'll get a few more sessions under my belt as the adults are still climbing into the nest to feed so the chicks must still be fairly small.
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| Male green woodpecker with the red moustachial stripe |
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| A tight squeeze in order to keep predators out |
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| Female green woodpecker |
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| Female green woodpecker |
10 comments:
What a stunning set of images and a great record to capture - some perseverance 😊
Amazing, I love watching the woodpeckers.. where we use to live we had the black and white woodpecker visit every year and bring their babies to feed.
Lovely photos
The photos and you tell a great story - Terrific photos
Great Adrian. I spotted a Green Woodpecker at Trebartha region but they are so difficult to get close to. Wonderful shots.
Very nice and worthwhile. Where I go in SE Cornwall, only the Great Spotted survive. Sadly, the Duchy recently acquired the place and their future there now seems less guaranteed. Unless they were making a late start this year, the couple that nested twice in a dead tree in an eastern corner had not done so yet this year, last time I checked. A hunter's platform overlooks it now. www.bit.ly/intoper and www.bit.ly/SEpe
p.s. The very first photo in the 'intoper' blog includes the dead tree that the woodpeckers liked. It's on the left side in front of the exposed broadleaf section. Follow back from the stump in the foreground, a little to the right.
p.s Have realized that Perdredda Wood is about 36 km from Wadebridge as the crow flies.
Saw my first green woodpecker for years today in my garden, semi rural outside of Newquay, got some pictures on my phone but far from do it justice.
12/2/2024 14.52
I think we had a Green Woodpecker in our garden on the outskirts of Falmouth today about ten minutes ago. Pecking at the ground.
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