Green Woodpecker

[Garry]

Found this particular photo while going through my collection.

This was taken 23 October 2009, and was never edited till this evening.

[Ian]

I had a greater spotted? On my feeder a few years ago (actually also 2009) when we had particularly heavy snow:

https://dpnow.com/forum2/forum/photo...-in-the-garden

Ian

[Barr1e]

Found this particular photo while going through my collection.

This was taken 23 October 2009, and was never edited till this evening.

That is a nice example Garry - thanks.

B

[Ian]

I was being a bit lazy just linking to my ten year old post, so here are the images from back then:









I've only seen a very fleeting glimpse of one of these woodpeckers ever since

Ian

[Ian]

I still have that feeder but the peanuts go mouldy before they are used up

[Garry]

A nice male Great Spotted Woodpecker. Like you, we only see them now and then, and rather fleeting. Also like you. We find the peanuts go black and mouldy. So we don't put them out anymore.

[Rodbender]

We must consider ourselves very lucky that we get both lesser spotted and green woodpeckers on a regular basis. Living where we do we get a lot of wildlife visiting our garden. Green woodies love the ants nest on our lawn and the lesser spotted feed on the nuts we put out. When I lived in Essex I was a member of the Badger watch. Doing our bit to stop Bager bating. Since moving to Suffolk I have missed seeing them. Mind you I'm no longer able to walk around in the cold at night.

[Garry]

You are very lucky, Ron. Have only ever seen Lesser spotted woodpeckers once. A pair of them in a tree where I was working. Also lucky to have seen Badgers. I have only ever seen dead badgers on the roadside.

[Rodbender]

Our Bager watch group was run by the Chief of Police Brentwood. Although I lived in Basildon there were no end of Bager sets in our area. We had a special map with all sets numbered and as I ran the local amateur radio club, I was able to radio in to report any sightings of suspicious activity near the sets. This was long before mobile phones. We were never allowed to challenge anyone as that was for the police to do. Doing this twice a week for two hours at a time did give us the opportunity see many Badgers. Must say I have not even seen a dead one since we settled in Suffolk.

Some pics. Can't find my Green woodies pisc.

[Rodbender]

[Rodbender]

[Rodbender]

So you can see we do see life here.

[Garry]

Really enjoyed seeing these, Ron. Your young great spotted woody was really hungry

Like seeing the Muntjacs, as we don't get them in my area. So another that I have never seen.

The Lesser Spotted woody was rather splendid. Pleased that you showed these.

[Rodbender]

Never sure which is which. Great or Lesser? Have watched ID videos but still get it wrong.

[Ian]

A nice male Great Spotted Woodpecker. Like you, we only see them now and then, and rather fleeting. Also like you. We find the peanuts go black and mouldy. So we don't put them out anymore.

Yup, the feeder is too big. I even put a wooden pole down the middle of it to reduce the amount of peanuts needed.but they still ended up wasted and like you I have stopped using that feeder for now, which is a shame as it's all-metal and built to last! So now we just have mixed seed, sunflower hearts and 'premium' fat balls - which the squirrels like in particular I also have a nyjer thistle seed feeder but I haven't seen it used at all over several years. I do wonder if I am doing something wrong, though to be honest gold finches only rarely visit to take some sunflower hearts.

The feeder I have is a bit like this one with very small holes in a plastic tube:



It's currently sitting forlornly in the shed!

Ian

[Garry]

Yup, the feeder is too big. I even put a wooden pole down the middle of it to reduce the amount of peanuts needed.but they still ended up wasted and like you I have stopped using that feeder for now, which is a shame as it's all-metal and built to last! So now we just have mixed seed, sunflower hearts and 'premium' fat balls - which the squirrels like in particular I also have a nyjer thistle seed feeder but I haven't seen it used at all over several years. I do wonder if I am doing something wrong, though to be honest gold finches only rarely visit to take some sunflower hearts.

The feeder I have is a bit like this one with very small holes in a plastic tube:



It's currently sitting forlornly in the shed!

Ian

I found that Goldfinches are very fussy, as to where they eat. Might be a safety thing. But we had a Nyjer flock feeder hanging in a tree in the garden. We used to get up to 30 Goldfinches at a time. I have some photos showing this.

But then the tree had to come down. I have a station feeder with Njger feeder attached. But now only ever see 1 or 2 at the time, and now and then.

Try placing your feeder in a different position.

Addition.........

Nice Yellowhammers on that nyjer feeder. Never had them in the garden.

[Ian]

Not my feeder, sadly - it's a pic borrowed from a commercial site. When the tits arrive there are up to a dozen of them, a mixture of blue tits, coal tits and the occasional great tit. Also long-tailed tits.

[peter]

We do not have wood peckers over. Nice photos guys Same here with the goldfinches as they do seem fussy but they are great looking little birds

[Garry]

We do not have wood peckers over.

That surprises me ! Always took it for granted they were all over Europe ?

[peter]

That surprises me ! Always took it for granted they were all over Europe ?

Pretty sure we do not have them over here but I will ask around