Sunday 10 April 2011

A mad look in the eye!

Around the world there are about 225 species of Woodpeckers, including Piculets and Wrynecks, and it would be fair to say that many of them have big personalities and extremely amusing antics. They can be very noisy and very animated as they chase each other during their courtships.

The Green Woodpecker ahs featured in my posts before, but normally on the ground. Many woodpeckers spend their whole lives in trees, but the Green Woodpecker spends much of it's life hopping around lawns and other short grass as it hunts for it favourite food, ants. At the moment they seem to be more intent on the "birds and the bees". Every little wood in the area appears to have a very vocal male "yaffling", it's loud laughing cry proclaiming it's territory to the world.

Although they have became very common, at least in the south-east, they were a much scarcer bird not that long ago. They certainly are spectacular looking looking with that mad look in the eye and red moustache stripe. I'm hoping to find one of the nest holes as watching the young poking their heads out when food arrives is quite a sight.

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