Return to moorhen home page
Return to section index
Image-of-the-Day by Subject
Birds - Woodpeckers Page 19
Image Taken on 05 Jun 2011
at 07:05 Image of day on 09 Jul 2011
4 days on we feel we have the 'what happened next' picture
Not so oblivious this time!
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20110709_d3b_20110605_0705_160_fb3 grey squirrel fending off arrival of great spotted woodpecker juvenile (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 26 Jun 2012
at 08:02 Image of day on 03 Aug 2012
A less angelic side of Grey Squirrel behaviour. We hope juvenile
Great Spotted Woodpecker stops these close encounters before it
gets one of those sharp claws somewhere vital.
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20120803_d3b_20120626_0802_036_fb3 grey squirrel lunging at passing great spotted woodpecker juvenile (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 30 Jun 2012
at 05:44 Image of day on 13 Aug 2012
A juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker still thinks it can outwit the
Grey Squirrel - the adults long ago learned better.
.jpg)
Ref: 20120813_d3b_20120630_0544_051_fb3 grey squirrel seeing off great spotted woodpecker juvenile(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 11 Jun 2014
at 09:53 Image of day on 18 Aug 2014
This Jackdaw is particularly aggressive / confident / stupid / Testosterone driven
(you choose!) and launches itself at anything in its way including the
normally dominant Grey Squirrels.
Here the Jackdaw is trying to chase away a juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker
who may have wished it had launched half a second earlier!
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20140818_e60_20140611_0953_143_fb3 jackdaw landing on perch as great spotted woodpecker juvenile hangs under perch (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 24 May 2014
at 15:15 Image of day on 03 Aug 2014
"Boo!"
Before we actually saw a Great Spotted Woodpecker we imagined
from the name and noise they make that they would be a much bigger
bird. Here you can see the size relative to the much larger Jackdaw.
.jpg)
Ref: 20140803_e60_20140524_1515_095_fb3 jackdaw landing on perch as great spotted woodpecker male watches from peanut feeder(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 01 Feb 2024
at 10:46 Image of day on 24 Feb 2024
Closer inspection makes 'less vigorous' seem more like 'probably dead' :-(
The tree has broken off at about 3.5 metres high, and the upper section is in 2 parts -
the upper sloping section in this pic, and a piece originally between them about 1 metre
long here propped up by us against the base of the lower trunk still in the ground, with
a 70mm hole in the side. Its turns out it is upside down in the photo :-(
.jpg)
Ref: 20240224_d71_20240201_1046_006 silver birch trunk broken as 3 pieces with 1m section hollowed out by woodpecker 1 of 3(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 01 Feb 2024
at 10:47 Image of day on 24 Feb 2024
Here is the hole in the 1 metre section we find this interesting hole in the lower half.
Visually aligning the broken pieces (without transporting a ladder to get to the top
of the standing piece) suggests that the hole faced approximately north.
.jpg)
Ref: 20240224_d71_20240201_1047_015 silver birch trunk broken as 3 pieces with 1m section hollowed out by woodpecker 2 of 3(r+mb id@432).jpg
Image Taken on 01 Feb 2024
at 10:48 Image of day on 24 Feb 2024
Inside the short section we find the trunk hollowed out to right up to
the bark, suggesting that, unnoticed at the time, a Woodpecker chiselled
out a nest hole in this inadequately sized tree. The tree then broke at the
weakened section. It would seem the events are not recent -
the white coating of Fungi inside the hole is quite thick.
Yes - we have searched all of the other birches but can't find any other
signs of hole nesting birds using them.
.jpg)
Ref: 20240224_d71_20240201_1048_018 silver birch trunk broken as 3 pieces with 1m section hollowed out by woodpecker 3 of 3(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 14 Dec 2011
at 15:49 Image of day on 14 Jan 2012
A few days later another raptor, a Sparrowhawk with a more
smash-and-grab technique, triggered the camera at a peanut
feeder. We have no idea of the outcome - the Great Spotted
Woodpecker is banking hard with head at the left and already
wings folded so probably had enough speed to escape.
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20120114_d3b_20111214_1549_069_fb3 sparrowhawk attacking great spotted woodpecker (crop 2)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 21 Feb 2012
at 08:01 Image of day on 24 Mar 2012
20 minutes later the female woodpecker is being rather more assertive?
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20120324_d3b_20120221_0801_055_fb3 starling and great spotted woodpecker female squabbling as male chaffinch flies in (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 12 Aug 2010
at 18:55 Image of day on 18 Sep 2010
On the left of the original frame was a starling on the nut
feeder squawking back, but this seems to be the most satisfying
crop from the frame.
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20100918_d3b_20100812_1855_015_fb3 starling and great spotted woodpecker juvenile squawking at each other (crop 2)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 27 Apr 2009
at 19:57 Image of day on 22 May 2009
Our new camera position at a horizontal branch fixed to the
peanut feeder post produces some interesting top and bottom
moments of conflict - this one at dusk. The Woodpecker wing tips
were lost off the bottom of the frame - deciding what to cover in
the camera field really is a quality compromise and guessing
game.
.jpg)
Ref: 20090522_d50_20090427_1957_029 fb3 starling on perch with great spotted woodpecker female hanging beneath(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 16 Feb 2012
at 08:50 Image of day on 24 Mar 2012
The starlings and woodpeckers really don't get on - here the female woodpecker.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20120324_d3b_20120216_0850_010_fb3 starling on top of perch and great spotted woodpecker female hanging underneath (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 21 Feb 2012
at 07:42 Image of day on 24 Mar 2012
5 days later we have an almost identical situation but with the
male woodpecker and a starling.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20120324_d3b_20120221_0742_054_fb3 starling on top of perch and great spotted woodpecker male hanging underneath (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 07 Jun 2009
at 17:30 Image of day on 09 Jul 2009
Montage of 2 successive frames in the rain, first on the RIGHT.
From the lack of intervening frames we deduce that the sodden
bird sat for 25 minutes preening, and all the better for it!
 of great spotted woodpecker in rain(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20090709_d36_20090607_1730_088+1754_089 fb3 successive frame montage (24 mins right to left) of great spotted woodpecker in rain(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 13 Jun 2019
at 11:13 Image of day on 27 Jul 2019
The Tree Sparrows have produced their first round of youngsters, and are getting
down to the business of making the next batch.
The juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker stayed throughout, more interested in
looking for the next feed.
(r+mb id@1024).jpg)
Ref: 20190727_d5c_20190613_1113_003-011 tree sparrows mating in rain twice & great spotted woodpecker juv 02+05-07+10 of 10 (montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg
Image Taken on 19 Aug 2025
at 11:53 Image of day on 09 Oct 2025
Having a chat at the water cooler the bird bath?
What is it with these two bird species seen together 5 days apart?
.jpg)
Ref: 20251009_e6a_20250819_1153_146_fb5 wood pigeon + green woodpecker(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 17 May 2024
at 18:39 Image of day on 14 Jun 2024
Woodpeckers have started occasional visits to the Meadow Post.
Here you see 4 separate visits. The species and sexes are listed in the
filename - the noticeably Larger male Green Woodpecker being third from
the left of the otherwise mixed pair of Great Spotted Woodpeckers.
(r+mb id@1024).jpg)
Ref: 20240614_d01_20240517_1839_125-20240518_1703_208_fb6 woodpeckers - great spotted female + male + green male + gs female (montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg
Comments and requests for image use
To make a comment, ask for information or to request a full
resolution image, send us an email including the reference or
the date for the image you are interested in.
All initial contacts should be made using the icon below:-
