Sunday 5 January 2014

Great Spotted Woodpecker in the garden.........................................................

I've had a lovely visitor to the garden and it's only the fourth time it's happened...
... and this time I managed a few record shots.

 A male Great Spotted Woodpecker  on the "Twister" feeder.

All captured through the window and not even close to the glass as I was afraid if I moved he would be off.

I had a female visit a couple of times over Christmas but never had the camera to hand.
These images were taken with my 18-200mm lens at 200mm and cropped.... 
... my best garden visitor so far during 2014 and will probably remain so for the next twelve months.

Linking to Our World Tuesday and Wild Bird Wednesday

31 comments:

Arija said...

Don't jinx yourself! Who knows what wonders can wander into your garden as the year goes on.
Unusual for sure, almost as unusual as a doctor making home calls these days.
What a great start to your birding year Drew. Keep it up!

Bob Bushell said...

Well done Andrew, and a male as well. Beautiful photography.

Brian King said...

Congratulations! It looks very similar to our Hairy and Downy woodpeckers, but larger.

John @ Beans and I on the Loose said...

Photos look good considering the conditions you had to work under. Looks like the new feeder is holding up well too.

TexWisGirl said...

beautifully marked bird. :)

Dave said...

super shots Andrew, and of course one of the very best woodland birds of the UK.

HansHB said...

Great post! Lovely bird!

Karen said...

Oh cool Andrew! Great shots, love the last one!

Anonymous said...

Great shots! You caught all of his colors perfect.

Stephanie said...

Very cool to capture this bird. He is beautiful and love the wingspan shot.

Horst in Edmonton said...

Great looking Woodpecker. Your doing a great job with your photography. I still love your photos of the little Robin that visits your Garden through the fence.

Shaun said...

Excellent shots, and such a pretty subject.

Gail Dixon said...

What a wonderful bird to visit your yard. Fantastic shots, too!

Pantherka said...

Fantastic Andrew, great pictures.

Laura said...

I love the burst of wings… I was listening to a woodpecker on a walk yesterday, couldn't see it it was to far up the tree, but it was so loud and big chunks were coming down, so I think it was a pileated.

Little Wandering Wren said...

Way to go - start the year on a high - the little dash of red in the coat is just gorgeous. What wonderful photos!
Wren x

carol l mckenna said...

Wonderful photography of the woodpecker ~ love the wing movement in the last photo ~ gorgeous!

eileeninmd said...

Pretty woodpecker, great shots!

Anonymous said...

A wonderful visitor! Nice shots.

Judi Gray said...

What a beautiful bird. I love the bird feeder also - great to see the woodpeckers use them.

Fun60 said...

Great photos considering from where they were taken.

Andrea @ From The Sol said...

It would seem that many woodpeckers look alike except thier coloring. This is a very colorful and handsome male. Love learning new things ... Thanks, Andrew ...

Andrea @ From The Sol

Findlay Wilde said...

Great photos. I have been getting a few visits from one. From Findlay

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

What a wonder! Beautiful bird, great pictures. If I were you, I'd have trouble going to work knowing this handsome guy was playing in my yard!

Margaret Birding For Pleasure said...

Hi Andrew. great start to the new year. fantastic shots.

Gordon said...

Great bird and a great set of pics Andrew.
All the best Gordon.

Unknown said...

What a wonderful visitor!

Giga said...

Uwielbiam dzięcioły, ale rzadko je widuję. Dziękuję więc za śliczne zdjęcia. Pozdrawiam.
I love woodpeckers, but rarely get to see them. Thank you so for the beautiful pictures. Yours.

Kenneth Cole Schneider said...

A very colorful visitor!

Anonymous said...

What a handsome fellow!

K V V S MURTHY said...

Awesome capture! Have a nice day!