Saturday 26 February 2011

More Woodpeckers

A few more pics from Lithuania, in case you hadn't had enough in the last post. A brilliant experience, best ever views of even the common woodpeckers. Look at the trees - stripped bare. I think we had eleven woodpeckers feeding simultaeneously at one point. Awesome.







Middle Spotted Woodpecker. A month ago I had never even seen one of these, and was straining to see one in the very tops of some tall trees. These close views were an unbelievable treat. This one has a damaged lower mandible.


Rufous Turtle Woodpecker, Dendrocopus streptobalticensis. Note the weak bill, it is primarily a ground feeder. Relatively rare, even in Lithuania, we were lucky to get these views.


And everyone's favourite peanut-stealer, Great Spotted Woodpecker. Wish I got views like this in my garden. I may need to re-jig my feeders to create some better opportunities.


2 comments:

  1. What luck jamming on to an Oriental Turtle Dove in Lithuania, save you a fortune in petrol and avoid all those nasty queues in Chipping Norton.

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  2. Hi Jonathan, your damaged Middle spot. I think its the upper mandible that has broken off the hard outer sheathing to the bill tip. Possibly due to drumming wood frozen like concrete!

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