More on birds from Woodcock Wood – Better Than A Hole In One
by Chris Saunders, 3 April, 2020, 0 comments
The Greater Spotted Woodpecker makes its presence felt in many ways in Woodcock Wood. The evocative spells of drumming when the male is establishing its territory; the swift undulating flight between high trees; the sustained attacks on our tit nest boxes unless metal plates are fitted around the entrance holes; and occasionally, just occasionally, the sight of its unmistakable profile on the side of a tree, or under a bough, while it is foraging for grubs and larvae in the bark. They are stunning birds seen close to, dressed in their black, white and scarlet.
The Greater Spotted is a success story. Its numbers have been increasing in UK since the 1970s and it is now relatively common in urban parks and wooded gardens. But not so the diminutive and secretive Lesser Spotted Woodpecker which is neither common, nor easy to find. In UK its distribution is contracting and breeding success has been declining. Read more...
