My first woodpecker

Moorhen

The woodpecker has a beak full of insects Paul. I am not sure how you catch all those at once. Surely they would fall out if it opens its beak to eat them. The moorhen and chick are enjoying some leisure time on the water.

Andrew

Congratulations Paul .. on that woodpecker .. first thought was Downy or Hairy but those red feathers threw me and my google search makes me think it is a great spotted woodpecker ...which I have never seen and never will. If I'm correct this woodpecker was extinct until seen in Cork in 2006! Might be interesting for you to show this picture locally to your bird societies ... good first try !!!!

WhyNot

Taking them home to his/her chicks?

(Locally extinct)

Google says they are making a come back in Ireland ....

WhyNot

Sorry, I meant in your post you meant locally extinct.

Nice catch of the woodpecker, Paul. I see it has a band on its leg so somebody is keeping track of them. Rich

Yes Andrew the woodpeckers has a mate and a nest it’s looks like the chicks have hatched and they are feeding them 🙂

Thanks WN ur right it’s a greater spotted woodpecker we had none in Northern Ireland until about Ten years ago this is the first pair I have seen in my area it has a mate with chicks apparently there over populated in parts of England and have started to come across to find nesting areas which is great 🙂

Yes Rich I noticed the ring someone in England are trying to keep tabs on them 🙂

Yes they have a nest near by 🙂

You'd think so . . . but they seem to manage it quite well. This puts me in mind of a picture I saw a long time ago of a puffin with about six little fish in its beak. Never could figure out how it managed that.

Lynne

A most fortunate capture. Nice to see - we haven't got any woodpeckers in Australia.
Dicky.

Thanks Dicky there’s always hope we had none here in Northern Ireland until very recently they have come across the water probably from England 🙂