Woodpeckers

Not long after I moved to the village work started on the construction of some new houses. At the time I couldn't see the point, but upon investigation I discovered that these were to replace some older elderly peoples cottages that could not be insulated. Thus the new bungalows were built to very high environmental standards. Further these were built as social housing, homes for rent, not just to profit developers. They were completed last year but their construction necessitated improvement works to the sewage and drainage infrastructure. As this work involved digging up some of the wildlife scrub land in the village, it was not started until the winter so as not to disturb the wildlife.

The reason for explaining this is that all that work has now been completed, and on Tuesday I noticed that grass seed had been scattered on the areas of bare soil. So I thought that this could provide a good opportunity to film some of the birds as they will feed on grass seed. Therefore I went down to the park boundary to see what turned up early in the morning. While there were plenty of birds, dropping in quickly and tacking a couple of seeds, there was also plenty of pedestrians and dog walkers. Thus, every time I was ready to start filming people disturbed the birds.

Everyone was good natured about it and I wasn't upset by this. It demonstrated just how active the birds are so close to human activity. However I was disappointed when the battery died, just when everyone seemed to stop using that path. So I will have to wait for the two long life rechargeable batteries to arrive in stock. It did mean that Wednesday was the only day that I didn't get any footage so far.

Today (Thursday) I went out specifically looking for possible locations where the woodpeckers may nest. I had a good idea of where to look, and I found two locations where it should be possible to film. Further, I may get to see what else nests in the old holes. One thing that's happening for sure is the birds think that its spring.

While I was out I stopped to try and film some long-tailed tits, but a loose unattended dog put paid to that. However just as was getting ready to move on I observed a tree creeper. I struggled for ages last year to get a picture of one, so I stayed a while longer and got some footage, it may be wobbly cam again but I got some thing.

As I was getting ready to head for home, suddenly was the drumming of a woodpecker. Not the I'm building a nest sound, but the I'm a male woodpecker fancy breeding? Sound and it was very close by. I stood and waited and a second drummed behind me. I didn't let that one distract me and waited for the first to drum again and he did. I moved towards the most likely tree he was using and waited with the camera ready. But I could not see him. I scrutinised the Oak carefully but I could not see him. I waited for over half an hour then suddenly I spotted him not on the oak itself but on a branch it had lost in the recent Gales. It must have seen my movement as I swung the camera as he flew off at that point. But what was amazing was that it was not the great spotted woodpecker I had expected to see but the rare Green Woodpecker.