A post of a post .....

Same post, same species, two seasons and two genders.

Great Spotted Woodpeckers seem to have a liking for this fence post and use it on a regular basis whilst in transit around this part of the Reserve.

This is great as it allows detailed study of the birds slightly different plumage.

Sadly the Female seems to have broken off the extreme tip of her upper mandible but looks healthy enough despite it..  


                                                         Spring - The Male 

                                                        Summer - The Female

No shortage of drumming Peckers.

There seem to be goodly numbers of Great Spotted Wodpeckers around this year.

Drumming was a bit slow to get going this year on the reserve despite the relatively mild Spring, but now it's echoing  to the sound of these colourful birds.

In addition, Titchmarsh LNR has always done well for Green Woodpeckers, sadly they are very flighty birds and to date I have never been quick enough to capture any really decent images.

Unlike Great Spotted, Green Woodpeckers do not drum ..... well, that's not strictly true, they do drum but it is a very feeble hardly audible effort.

An interesting thing about Green Woodpeckers is that if they are disturbed and do not immediately take flight they will  freeze and adopt a '' bill up '' posture somewhat like a Bittern.  I attach a '' record shot '' of this posture.


  
                                                              
                                                                                  
                                      Green Woodpecker - beak up posture

                                                                  GSW

Watching you watching me ...... GSW at Titchmarsh LNR ........

This fencing post close to the South hide at the Reserve is a popular perch for a male Great Spotted Woodpecker. 

At one point I had three of these birds squabbling in a tree at the same time, the woods are increasingly echoing with the sound of drumming as the season advances.

This chap is showing really well at Titchmarsh LNR

What clean lines the Great Spotted Woodpecker has, by this I mean the clear cut definition between the colours of its plumage.

This chap is being very showy at the moment, however I am not hearing any significant drumming. 

There are a number of regulars who visit the reserve, one of them, Rod, has recently put up some feeders next to the south hide, peanuts, mixed seed and Niger.

It hasn't taken the local birds long to find these sources of supplementary food. 

I don't usually do feeder images as I believe that they look unnatural, so I always select  birds before and after they arrive, it works for me.,                  

If you want close up views of a GSW, you now know where to go.

                               Easy, I can do this climbing stuff with my eyes shut.

                                          ....... I can also do it standing on one leg

A very colourful character against a clear blue sky.

This male Greater Spotted Woodpecker popped up in a nearby tree and posed for some time giving good eye contact before flying away.

I have seen and taken images of many GSW's in my time, I think that this is one of the best in so far as composition is concerned.

Male Great Spotted Woodpecker at Bearshank Woods.

One of our more enigmatic birds and very flighty which makes them difficult to photograph, but when they are around it is always a delight to hear their '' kick kick '' call alerting you of their presence, if disturbed they will either fly away or spiral around the trunk of the tree they are climbing to hide themselves on the lee side.

On occasions you can however catch them out if you are static and well concealed as was the case with this image.

GSW's use their tongues which are very sticky to probe cavities in the bark of trees to detect and withdraw insects and grubs from their chambers in and below the surface. 

Their tails are fairly  stiff and have a very important function applying leverage and supporting their body movements as they probe for food or drum their beaks on  trees.