woodpecker

Brilliant pic Sg. :o))

That is a nice shot. Do they visit regularly. We have had one in our garden, but only seen her about 3 times. Never seen a male tho.

Thanks Lindalooloo :)

Yes Tetrach, they have been spending a lot of time in the garden since the baby fledged - he is often there and I think he must be just about made of peanuts by now! Mum comes several times a day and dad only occasionally. Normally we only see them now and again, but I think they have nested in one of the sycamores on the boundary of the lawn. We feel very very privileged!

Hi Steragram

Excellent photo. You must have been very quick we have one visit our bird feeder but even if I make a slight move looking through our patio door its gone like a flash.

Surprisingly not - they are there very frequently so there was no rush. I used a telephoto lens resting on the patio door with fine quality so it would crop and enlarge.
Before baby came along they were a lot more likely to fly off if they saw any movement but they are so absorbed by Food that they seem to notice less.

This has really made me smile! I've not seen one before- any tips for attractive less common birds to our garden?

What a great photo.You did do well to photograph it before it flew off. We used to have one visit but we have not seen it much this year.

excellent picture ,it costs me a fortune feeding my birds ,huge numbers come because i feed sunflower hearts they get addicted to them goldfinches chaffinch greenfinch blue tit great tit coal tit evrything comes it is fantastic to watch..............then mrs sparrow hawk arrives !!

Hayley, have you tried putting out nyjer seed? It attracts goldfinches - and you could try sunflower hearts like Tanjipete if you have the dosh to spare (we make do with peanuts and nyjer, and add standard birdseed in the winter), Rose, I hope you have more luck next year!

Have to smile at his big feet hanging on to the feeder, not exactly made for that task....ah well where there's a will there's a way...lol...:))

Oh I don't know - he has to hang onto vertical tree trunks. You should see the blue tits fly off in a hurry when he lands on the feeder! that beak makes even the bigger birds think twice...

lovely pic. do you know the type of woodpecker? I wish I could feed birds - got enough feeders, but don't want to invite squirrels in, cos they don't stop at wrecking the feeders. I have to make sure that I chuck any food out into the green beyond my patch and just hope that the birds find it - mostly pigoens in inner London, sadly.

i think its the lesser spotted woodpecker .maybe the greater spotted im not sure cheers

No Tanjipete, its the greater. The lesser is a lot smaller and rather rare! Thanks for your interest anyway - its still a treat to see the little family even if they aren't the rare ones.

Fran, its the Greater Spotted. Have you seen those feeders that are supposed to be squirrel proof? They also keep out the bigger birds such as jackdaws that can get through a feeder of seeds before you can turn round.

ha, Steragram - I have a "squirrel-proof" feeder in a cage, but the cage mesh is more ornamental than useful. I might get some wire and try to weave the spaces smaller, but the only thing I have to hang it from is the plastic-coated wire mesh fence - and I want to keep feeders away from my plants - even though I've not been putting food out, the squirrels did for five whole troughs of pansies - 40 plants - and uprooted a lot of others.

Beyond our gardens there's a locked-off green, which is where the so-and-so's live; if I can get a gate put in my fence I don't mind hangiung feeders from the trees there, I just don't want to invite them back in to uproot more plants - *s* even bought a ocuple of "realistic" rubber boa constrictors but that might work better if I could get one that looked big enough to eat a squirrel! six foot or so??

Dunno about jackdaws in Bethnal Green - blackbirds, yes, or at least big birds that are black, might not be the same thing!, pigeons and very occasionally something small that chirps nicely but I've no idea what. I did get a free "garden bird spotter" from the RSPB, but I'm visually imapired and the little sods rarely stand still long enough for me to get the binoculars out. I can tell a robin from a sparrow, and that's about it

Oh dear, you have got problems! I had no idea there were lots of squirrels in the heart of London. Once they get the idea into their heads that they are going to eat something it doesnt seem possible to stop them - they run away if you go out and clap at them but they come back as soon as you go in again. I've never seen them uproot flowers - must drive you crazy. Not sure that British squirrels are programmed to be afraid of big snakes, but anything's worth a try! good luck with that then.

thanks. I did look up squirrel predators on Google, but I couldn't have afforded a life-size realistic fox or barn owl even if I could find any. and they'd have stood out a bit in the tiny patch I have. Not actually *seen* squirrels eating or uprooting plants, but they're in the garden more than I am, so ... l may be doing them an injstice, but I don't see any other availabe suspect. lol for the first week after I moved in here, it was, "ooh, aren't they cute?" and ever since it's been "gerroutofit yalittlesods!" when I finally got my very first garden I never imagined squirrels.

I think that anywhere there's a bit of green and some trees there'll be squirrels - if there's a niche, it'll be filled. If this lot were removed, another lot would move in.

But if I can get some feeders up, even at a little distance, I'd like to see what would be attracted - as well as the bird feeders, I have a butterfly nectar feeder and I'd like to put up nest boxes and insect hibrenation boxes of all kinds and - and -

I'd probably never see more than a tiny fraction of the visitors, but just one sight of a visitor as distinguished as yours would keep me happy for a long time

I looked up predators on Google too and see it mentions cats. I'm not convinced. We saw our cat try to follow one up a very tall Scots pine, but it had to give up after about 12 feet - it never stood a chance of catching the squirrel.

I don't think you're going to get woodpeckers on your feeders, but you never know what might turn up. Perhaps you could get someone to plant a stake in your garden that you could hang feeders from? I have seen advertised a sleeve that fits over the post, arranged so that when the squirrel climbs the post and reaches the sleeve it slides down the post, so the squirrel can never reach the top. No idea how it works, and it probably costs. You could also put a plastic or metal collar round the top, rather like those that dogs wear after operations. This makes a barrier that the squirrel can't climb over. It might be worth writing to the RSPB and explaining your problem, including lack of cash, and see if they can suggest anything.

I've seen some YouTube vids where they use Slinkies to stop squirrels climbing, but only for a while. They remember, and learn

I have a video, Daylight Robbery, where they tested squirrels' intelligence and agility on a purpose-built assault course. They also had some slide-into-slot feeders under test; the squirrels worked in pairs, one counterbalancing the second who could then reach the food, and then swapping over.
(Just checked Google for "Daylight Robbery" - seem to be stacks of vid clips on YouTube if you're interested)

I've got a patch that's more paving than bed, but I thought of lashing a pole to the fence-pole with a disc to stop it being climbed. but no doubt they'd find a way to get to it from above or a looooooong leap from the side. *s* unless I buy a roll of wire mesh and surround the whole thing!

ps, sorry! didn't mean to divert this thread away from the subject in your pic! x

So have you got anywhere with this over the last month?

sigh, no; rain stopped play. and inertia stopped it the rest of the time.

Good old inertia - I know it well...

lol been a bit bleah! in all departments for a while, indoors and out: nothing much needs doing in the garden, the plants seem to be getting on ok, apart from the petunias, which are now beyond redemption, so there's not much incentive - besides, doing thngs just for the sake of something to do isn't really *doing*

Yes, BUT, it will soon be time for the birdies to be wanting their peanuts...

if only I could find a way to feed 'em without certain other "cute" animals wrecking 'em - thought of buying some chicken wire an making a sort of cage on the fence with the feeders inside.

Worth a try. They are very good at working out how to defeat our defences, as you have discovered!

nod nods

still, it's either try or give the stuff to the charity shop ...

Nothing to lose but a bit of time.

I love this picture of the woodpecker, when I was driving home this afternoon I saw a woodpecker fly straight past my windscreen. It was a lucky day for him.

And for you too! :))

I saw a woodpecker for the first time on my bird table,a few days ago.i messed about trying to find my camera,but couldn't find it. :O)

That's life! Never mind you enjoyed watching it.

wonderful photo... great to see in the gardens..