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| Great Spotted Woodpecker - Photo by Mark Appleton |
I am lucky to live near a local woods, so I am able to spend my allocated exercise walking there during lockdown. Not everyone is so fortunate, so I will try and bring a little bit of nature to you. The last three weeks I have walked to the woods during the early morning and while there I have often heard the woodpeckers drumming. On locating the drumming, I was able to identify the bird as a Great Spotted Woodpecker.
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| Great Spotted Woodpecker - Photo by Mark Appleton |
Woodpecker identification is easy in the UK. There are only three resident species. They can be separated on size alone, Lesser Spotted is Sparrow-sized. Great Spotted is Starling-sized. Green is Mistle Thrush-sized. Their plumage can also help identify them with the Green Woodpecker having obviously green plumage and also yellow on its rump and a red moustache on the male. The Great Spotted Woodpecker has red under its tail and big white shoulder patches, with the male having a red patch on the nape of its neck. The Lesser spotted has a white barred back and female has no red anywhere in its plumage.
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| Great Spotted Woodpecker feeding - Photo by Mark Appleton |
The woodpecker can also be identified by its drumming sound. Only two species of woodpecker drum in the UK; the Great Spotted Woodpecker and the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. Unfortunately the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker is now becoming quite rare. There are approximately 140,000 breeding pairs of Great Spotted compared to 1000 Lesser Spotted.
Drumming is the woodpecker equivalent of song, both males and females use it as a far carrying sound to proclaim territory. It is a rapid drum-roll of knocking on a resonant branch which is quite different from the separate taps and knocks during feeding and creating a nest hole.
Our two drumming species have very different drums :-
Great Spotted Woodpecker drumming is loud and far carrying, explosive in short bursts and tapers off at the end.
Lesser Spotted woodpecker drumming is softer but still far carrying, a rattling longer burst and has an even delivery from start to end.
For the Greater Spotted Woodpecker's drumming and call click on this link:-
Great Spotted Woodpecker call
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| Great Spotted Woodpecker feeding |
The Great Spotted Woodpecker digs insects and grubs from the bark with its strong bill but also eats seeds and berries.
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| Great Spotted Woodpecker sunbathing - Photo by Mark Appleton |
A couple of years ago while walking in the woods, we were alerted by a din from a nearby tree. It turned out to be the young of a Great Spotted Woodpecker in their nest calling in a most demanding manner, begging to be fed and hence drawing attention to the nest hole. We spent the next 20 minutes watching the young being fed. Keep your ears open, you never know what you may find, especially at this time of year.
The nest is a hole bored out by the strong beak of both sexes. The 4-7 eggs are incubated by both parents for about 15 days. The young are fed by both adults and fly at about 20 days. After fledging, the young are continued to be fed by the adults for another week or more. There is one brood between April and June.
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| Great Spotted Woodpecker looking for food - Photo by Mark Appleton |
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| Great Spotted Woodpecker on Garden feeder - Photo by Mark Appleton |
For more information on the Great Spotted Woodpecker, click on these useful links:-
RSPB - Great Spotted Woodpecker
Garden Birds - Great Spotted Woodpecker
BTO - Great Spotted Woodpecker
and lastly
A BIG SHOUT OUT FOR ALL OUR ESSENTIAL KEY WORKERS WHO ARE DOING AN AMAZING JOB IN THESE DIFFICULT TIMES
Much appreciated as staying in nursing a sick elderly cat. Thanks.
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