Woodpeckers !
           
             The woods are full, of young birds suddenly...squeeking Great Tit and Blue Tit chicks in the oak trees and young Robins in the lower bushes. The noisy young crow chicks have now fledged and left the wood but their raucous croaks have been replaced by the constant chatter of young Great Spotted Woodpeckers.

              I could hear them from a long way off in our neighbour's wood and it was not very difficult to track them down to a hole in a wonderful old dead pine tree. One chick was almost falling out of the hole with the urgency of calling in the parents to feed them and they did not seem in the least perturbed by my presence. The parents were calling all the time I was there and so I did not like to linger for too long but moving away just a few yards gave one of the adults the confidence to bring in a hefty meal of insects. I sense more than one chick in the nest and it made me wonder if they took turns to go on "look out" duty or if it was simply a matter of the strongest hogging the window seat all the time. It was clear that these birds were very close to fledging and making their way on the outside for the first time with all the risks entailed in that for them.


Adult female woodpecker arriving with a beak full of food



Calling for the next meal; young Great Spotted Woodpeckers have a red cap 

It looks like this pine tree has been used many times before

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