THREE WOODPECKERS

Because of yesterday's exciting news about the male Great Spotted Woodpecker's discovery of the woodpecker post in the garden, I got out there early this morning (after work) and replenished the old suet and nuts (they'd been there for weeks after all).

So.... now our woodpecker post is covered in fresh suet and nuts - waiting to be discovered again.

As we had our morning barrel of coffee in the garden, Anna and I saw THREE woodpeckers on the Lime tree.

The female Great Spotted Woodpecker arrived first. Then a male Green Woodpecker, finally followed by our intrepid discoverer, the male Great Spotted Woodpecker.

You know how to distinguish between Great Spotted Woodpecker sexes (male has red on back of his crown), so what about Green Woodpeckers.

Well, both sexes of Green Woodpeckers have black "moustaches". The female's moustache is all black (I knew a Greek woman like that once!) whereas the male's moustache is black, filled with red.

Look really carefully at the photo of our Green visitor, and you may jussst be able to make out a little red in his black moustache....

Unfortunately NONE of them investigated the post (not that I expected the Green Woodpecker to do so), and the light was so bad again this morning, that the two photographs I got, of the Green male and the Spotted female are simply apalling.

It was like shooting at silhouettes, at night, with a silly film and shutter speed, at some distance, to a small target above my head! I'm amazed I got anything!

All we want is a little sun, and I'll give you some lovely pictures of our Woodpecker visitors!

Just some sunnnn......

Click any of the two images above to enlarge. (If you really want)!

The first is of the female Great Spotted Woodpecker, the second of the male Green Woodpecker.

Just some sunnnn.... purlease.....!