catgate Posted February 3, 2007 Report Share Posted February 3, 2007 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thos Posted February 3, 2007 Report Share Posted February 3, 2007 Nice picture, catgate. And it is a beautiful morning round your way too. I must get my bird book out later to check on that colourful specimen on the branch. I am shortly off to drop off my eldest son and family at Heathrow en route to Tanzania, animal watching.Thos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catgate Posted February 3, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2007 I must get my bird book out later to check on that colourful specimen on the branch. Thos.It is a greater spotted woodpecker. A pair of them have nested in a little wood about 50 yards away from our back hedge for a few years now. They come and go, cleaning out grubs from the old apple trees and helping the bluetits to eat the fat we put out. But, they are very shy. They have only to see a movement behind the curtains and they are away. The picture was taken through the window, from behind the bedroom curtain, with a 10x zoom (then enlarged a bit). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irene Posted February 3, 2007 Report Share Posted February 3, 2007 How lucky you are! :D It looks to me like a Woodpecker keeping the Yellow Tit company. But then, I'm no expert. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thos Posted February 3, 2007 Report Share Posted February 3, 2007 We don't see those woodpeckers here, but we do get Green Woodpeckers poking at the lawn hoovering up ants and they are very welcome. (not the ants, the birds!)Thos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artist Posted February 3, 2007 Report Share Posted February 3, 2007 What a lucky picture!! We have the greater spotted but I've never got a snap of him yet.We get lots of blue tits too.(...............I'm tempted to say - easpecially in this cold weather!) :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deuces wild Posted February 3, 2007 Report Share Posted February 3, 2007 What a lucky picture!! We get lots of blue tits too.(...............I'm tempted to say - easpecially in this cold weather!) :D Will you women quit talking about the color of your tits! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andsome Posted February 4, 2007 Report Share Posted February 4, 2007 We have never seen a woodpecker in our garden unfortunately. We do see the occasional jay, and loads of all the usual birds. We regularly see sparrow hawks. The only unwelcome bird is the collared dove. We seem to be inundated with the wretched things, and their repetitive call and loud screech as they are about to land starts before dawn. It's OK at this time of the year with the double glazing closed, but they wake up 'Er indoors during the warmer weather when the window is open. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catgate Posted February 4, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2007 We had a pair of collared doves around until a fortnight ago. I saw a local sparrow hawk in one of the apple trees one morning, and the next morning there was a the remnants of a collared dove under the same apple tree. Now we have one collared dove.A local chap who is a Falconer (no..not a Lord) told me that Sparrow Hawk is a misnomer. They only take sparrows if there is nothing else worth having. Their favourite, above all else, is blackbird, and from the way our local blackbird population has fallen since the sparrow hawk (and mate) appeared, he could well be right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andsome Posted February 4, 2007 Report Share Posted February 4, 2007 We had a pair of collared doves around until a fortnight ago. I saw a local sparrow hawk in one of the apple trees one morning, and the next morning there was a the remnants of a collared dove under the same apple tree. Now we have one collared dove.A local chap who is a Falconer (no..not a Lord) told me that Sparrow Hawk is a misnomer. They only take sparrows if there is nothing else worth having. Their favourite, above all else, is blackbird, and from the way our local blackbird population has fallen since the sparrow hawk (and mate) appeared, he could well be right.Send it round here, we must have several dozen collared doves. Our Sparrow hawks seem to leave the damned things alone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thos Posted February 4, 2007 Report Share Posted February 4, 2007 A few years ago we had no collared doves, then there seemed to be a large increase and I thought they were going to take over the world. However things settled down and we only have one or two pairs now.Apropos the story of the sparrowhawk, some months ago we heard a large bang on our French Window. A wood pigeon had flown into it. (Super clean you understand. It didn't realise the glass was there, stupid mutt).Anyway, realising what the noise was, we went to the window to see if it was OK, only to find a sparrowhawk had seen this and spotting the pigeon, either stunned or neck broken, had alighted and was busy flicking feathers etc around and making a juicy meal of the bird. It must have been hungry because it took no notice of us watching and stayed there making odd noises as it ate.Thos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andsome Posted February 4, 2007 Report Share Posted February 4, 2007 A few years ago we had no collared doves, then there seemed to be a large increase and I thought they were going to take over the world. However things settled down and we only have one or two pairs now.Apropos the story of the sparrowhawk, some months ago we heard a large bang on our French Window. A wood pigeon had flown into it. (Super clean you understand. It didn't realise the glass was there, stupid mutt).Anyway, realising what the noise was, we went to the window to see if it was OK, only to find a sparrowhawk had seen this and spotting the pigeon, either stunned or neck broken, had alighted and was busy flicking feathers etc around and making a juicy meal of the bird. It must have been hungry because it took no notice of us watching and stayed there making odd noises as it ate. Thos.Obviously it had no manners. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deuces wild Posted February 4, 2007 Report Share Posted February 4, 2007 We have never seen a woodpecker in our garden unfortunately.Get some suet and a wire cage meant to hold it........hang it outside and they will come. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andsome Posted February 4, 2007 Report Share Posted February 4, 2007 We have never seen a woodpecker in our garden unfortunately.Get some suet and a wire cage meant to hold it........hang it outside and they will come.If I do that, will they peck holes in the bird table? :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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