The other day I had a walk from our house with my wife and our dog Alfie. As usual I took my binoculars with me in the vain hope of a Hawfinch re-appearing in the Hornbeams just down the bridleway from where we live. We walked across to some stubble fields which were providing good feeding for numbers of Finches and Yellowhammers and I was pleased to see some of the latter. Then on walking back through the edge of Ronald Wood I saw a small Woodpecker fairly low in a Hornbeam. I immediately realised it was a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker even without binoculars. As soon as I raised my binoculars the bird had moved higher and was fairly well hidden by branches but I could see it was a male. I went home extremely happy, the only disappointment being that I did not have my camera with me.
What was interesting is that this bird was within 30 yards of where I last saw one in this wood and that was 20 years ago!
Another couple of dog walks produced nothing but then on 19th I struck lucky. I caught sight of the bird high in a Hornbeam. This time I did have my camera with me and managed a few shots. I put the news out to a few local birders and within a short space of time Adam Bassett came up and we both went back down the bridleway and soon found the Woodpecker in the same area as before. We both managed a few photos when the bird fed somewhat lower down.
An early Christmas delight!
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| High up in the Hornbeams and often difficult to see. |
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| The red on the head shows it is a male. |
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| A good view of the barring on the back. |
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| Showing the stiff tail supporting the bird. |
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| Red Kites are never far away in our area. |
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