Scruffy the Woodpecker

[British Red]

Haven't seen much of our mate Scruffy this year - don't know if he'd nibbing someone elses peanuts. He's so named as theres something not very clean about his breast plumage - he wouldn't pass the doorstep challenge, but its nice to have him back!

Red

 

[fred gordon]

The birds and red squirrels that normally inhabit out feeders have been late in showing themselves this year. I suspect its because of the relatively mild weather. During the hard frosty week we had last week there was a definite increase in bird feeder traffic. Would be nice if we had a woodpecker, scruffy or not! Looks quite a character.

 

[British Red]

We have greens and greater spotteds - the greens seem to be ground feeders only though on old windfalls and the like. I suspect we just like this guy cos we can recognise him. Loads of fieldfares around too. All ours seem really hungry now the cold snap has hit

Always a good chance to watch them though which is nice

I envy you the red guys mind you!

Red

 

[Toddy]

There are a couple down the back lane that occasionally visit the garden (never managed such a clear shot as that one BR, nice ) They seem to scare the little birds though, not quite as badly as the sparrowhawk, but defintiely hiding in the hedge time when he appears. I know they'll take squabs from nests but it surpised me that the adults were so wary too.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Gibbsy]

I saw a greater spotted on the birch tree round the back of my house on christmas day, I don't know what he was after as the tree is bare, but he had a peck at something.

 

[spamel]

I love woodpeckers, their wings look like they are too short to fly! There are a few roundabout here, it's nice to hear them tapping away. You're lucky to get a personal visit Red!

 

[JonnyP]

A lot of GS Woodys have dirty chests, not thought about it before but its proberbly from the way they hop up trees. Watching from the ground it looks like their chests do rub against the trees as they move up them looking for insects...
That, as I am sure you know is a male you have a picture or there Red, the females do not have the red on their necks...

 

[John Fenna]

Strange!
No sooner do you start a thread about GSWs than ours returns and drumming is heard in our local trees.....is it the mating season already?
We have had a pair visit our garden for several years and they both look as if they have been on a BCUK moot - slightly mucky around the edges!
Good shot you have there Red!

 

[robin wood]

Here is our regular pecker for comparison. John, don't think it's mating season already but GSWs always set up territories early so you hear them drumming this time of year, Tawny Owls do the same though as far as I know it's only herons that actually start breeding in February.

 

[British Red]

Don't get me started on bloody Tawnies. Our family have been too successful recently - we recently had 9 separate individuals calling at the same time. Noisy gits!

 

[John Fenna]

If it is an early breeding season we can always blame "Global Warming"!
I have to say that our GSWs are viscious beggars on the feeder, pecking away with a violent action and scaring off anything else looking for a feed!
It is a good thing that we have multiple feeders around the garden... but when the Rooks decend they occupy all of them!

 

[JonnyP]

If it is an early breeding season we can always blame "Global Warming"!
I have to say that our GSWs are viscious beggars on the feeder, pecking away with a violent action and scaring off anything else looking for a feed!
It is a good thing that we have multiple feeders around the garden... but when the Rooks decend they occupy all of them!

I was watching a rook on a feeder (like those above) a few day ago....Twas highly amusing...

I have just set up a bird table down here in the garden, only chaffinches so far but the nearest tree often has a gang of goldfinches in it, so I will need to sort me a finch feeder to try to get them in...
Plenty of owls here too Red, sounds like the middle of rush hour at night time, hoot hoot hoot hoot...

 

[British Red]

So cool Jon - gladto hear you are settling in!

Fiona sends "big hugs" and tells you to drag Janie up here when you are passing!

Red

 

[jojo]

We have had a woodpecker on the feeder this morning! I am really chuffed with that, worth getting up for , first one I have seen on our feeder here, beautiful bird, I really hope s/he'll be back. No pics, unfortunately Also, a wood pigeon has just met a violent end in the garden, a sparrow hawk just got it! Visiting friends saw it happen, that's not fair...... I can see the feathers all over the place!

 

[JonnyP]

That pecker will certainly be back Jojo, so long you keep the feeder topped up. They are pretty timid though, so you will need a good hiding place if you want some photo's...

 

[spamel]

I keep getting visited by a tawny owl, the first time I heard it I thought somebody was strangling a cat! Very vocal and quite frightening if you aren't expecting it! I was just dropping off last night and heard the call, it woke me straight back up again! I quite like it.

 

[jojo]

That pecker will certainly be back Jojo, so long you keep the feeder topped up. They are pretty timid though, so you will need a good hiding place if you want some photo's...

Definitely will do! I like the birds coming, we have a small colony of house sparrows and I love their squabbling. But the pecker was no more that 20 feet from the house, he must have seen me at the window and carried on feeding.

 

[Mirius]

We've had to stop feeding these last couple of months. The local rats were getting entirely too well fed and the neighbours were complaining about them up near the house. Now they've moved down and taken up home in my new composter which was supposed to be rat proof (not that I believed it). But even before that we are a bit short on bird diversification - not enough trees close by I reckon.

 

[JonnyP]

We've had to stop feeding these last couple of months. The local rats were getting entirely too well fed and the neighbours were complaining about them up near the house. Now they've moved down and taken up home in my new composter which was supposed to be rat proof (not that I believed it). But even before that we are a bit short on bird diversification - not enough trees close by I reckon.

If rats are a problem then bird feed should only be put out in the morning with enough food to only last the birds that day. Saying that, if you do not have much cover for the birds near the feeder, you will struggle to get birds to come to it, they like to have somewhere nearby they can quickly escape to...

 

[Burnt Ash]

We've had to stop feeding these last couple of months. The local rats were getting entirely too well fed and the neighbours were complaining about them up near the house. Now they've moved down and taken up home in my new composter which was supposed to be rat proof (not that I believed it). But even before that we are a bit short on bird diversification - not enough trees close by I reckon.

Rats are almost inevitable: attracted to the fallout from seed and peanut feeders. I have a moderated No 3 garden gun, which takes little 9mm brass 'Flobert' shot shells. Over the last five years I've shot several dozen rats with it: mostly those nosing around under the bird feeders. The shots are taken through the open kitchen window at a range of about 12 feet. The garden gun is more effective than an air rifle in these circumstances as the rats are often darting about behind ground foliage and 'snap' shots are usually required.
Interestingly, my little avian buddies return boldly to the feeders within a minute or two of being scared by the shot and Roland's despatch. The birds seem to know that I mean them no harm.
I see GSWs every day, but I'm very sad and not a little concerned that I haven't seen any long tailed tits on our feeders this winter. They are most amusing little birds and usually arrive in gangs. I saw a cock bullfinch yesterday, which is quite a rarity around here these days. I remember when they were much more abundant and considered pests in cherry orchards.

Burnt Ash