Woodpecker heard, not Spotted

[Scots_Charles_River]

I was out with my Outdoor Class on Thursday and whilst walking up the north rampart, of the Roughcastle on the Antonine Wall, we heard a Woodpecker. We froze and listened for a few minutes.

Never heard one before so it was a cool few minutes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rough_Castle_Fort

 

[TomBartlett]

Just saw a woodpecker today by the Cam in Cambridge. They're a great bird to watch.

 

[British Red]

They've been drumming in the garden for about two weeks now

 

[IanM]

Had a green woodpecker pecking through the moss bed in the garden this morning.

Pretty in the falling snow.

 

[Scots_Charles_River]

The Roughcastle fort is open Acorn and Oak trees. Maybe a prime spot.

 

[andybysea]

one was pecking away a few weeks ago on the trees at the bottom of my garden

 

[rustix]

Me too ,they've been banging away in my garden for a couple of weeks!....
will try and get a picture soon

 

[Harvestman]

I heard one drumming last weekend, albeit briefly. Greater spotted, from the sound.

 

[British Red]

I heard one drumming last weekend, albeit briefly. Greater spotted, from the sound.

That's certainly what we have - the sound always reminds me of a wooden ruler clamped at one end then "twanged"

 

[dwardo]

I find they like to hide on the opposite side of the tree if they see you coming. Lovely things and hell of an evolutionary marvel to take that kind of head punishment.

 

[Miyagi]

I heard one last Sunday near Queensferry, the dog was sat looking up the tree.

As I got closer it paused then flew off, it was a wee green bird.

Its the first time in my life I've ever seen one, quite made my day.


Liam

 

[British Red]

Thats quite unusual Miyagi - Greens do drum - but rarely and its quite a faint noise in my experience compared to a Greater Spotted - lucky you for hearing it

I assume it was one of these?


Green Woodpecker by British Red, on Flickr

 

[Harvestman]

The interesting thing about green woodpeckers, is that they mostly feed on the ground, and rarely peck wood.

 

[Harvestman]

Thats quite unusual Miyagi - Greens do drum - but rarely and its quite a faint noise in my experience compared to a Greater Spotted - lucky you for hearing it

I assume it was one of these?


Green Woodpecker by British Red, on Flickr

Of course, that is a juvenile (speckled appearance) and therefore wouldn't be drumming, but I don't think that was what you were suggesting anyway. Nice pic, by the way.

 

[British Red]

Just illustrating a Green

I think this ones an adult male


Green Woodpecker Male by British Red, on Flickr

and female?


Green Woodpecker Female by British Red, on Flickr

This one was a nice shot of a juvenile


Young Green Woodpecker by British Red, on Flickr

 

[Harvestman]

Adult male, yes. Second one is another juvenile. The adult female looks like the male but with the 'moustache' all black instead of red as in the male.

Deep picture envy now though

 

[British Red]

Thanks for the info. I'm lucky tohave lived in houses with rich wild life and bird life around...I recall Jon Picket being horrified that I yelled at a particular bird to "shaddup" in one cottage

He had been trying to hear nightjars for some time and said there were very few true "night singing" birds. It transpired that my apple tree was a favoured habitat and the birds he had been trying to hear by shivering in woods I had been yelling at when they woke me up every night about 3 am


My personal favourite was male short eared owls with that weird wooopwooopwooop noise they make - a lovely sound

Got loads of shots of GSWs as well - but not yet any of LSWs

 

[Harvestman]

I've seen LSWs twice, both times only briefly. Rare, small, and secretive. Hard to spot. Count yourself lucky if you ever do see one.

I'm yet to get a woodpecker picture that wasn't a tiny silhouette of a GSW.

Nightjars are brilliant, except when they wake you at 3am, or as in my case the first time you ever encounter them is at dusk when you are lost and they are calling and doing display flights (with the weird wing claps) just above your head and you can't see what on earth it is that is hurtling about making those unearthly noises. Scary.

For truly weird sounds though, the Manx Shearwater wins every time. Skomer island at night, at the right time of year. Thousands of the blasted things all gorbling and gargling away. Impossible to sleep, especially with the juveniles mis-judging landings and crashing into things, and big gulls trying to pick them off as well. Madness.

 

[Lynx]

Our office kitchen overlooks a large garden and in the Autumn there was a tree laden with red berries. Anyhow, we saw a flock of birds fly down from a roof into the tree and at first we thought they were starlings but then we realised they were baby green woodpeckers! There must have been 8 or 9 of them which I thought very odd given the numbers but they were definitely woodpeckers. It was an amazing sight and probably something I will never see again.

 

[British Red]

Never knowlingly seen a Manx Sheerwater...sounds fab if a bit mad

One of my favourites is Lapwing aerobatic stunts....thats incredible to see - how they don't end up impaled on the ground I will never know?

Heres a couple of GSWs for you


GSW by British Red, on Flickr


Woodpecker by British Red, on Flickr