Wednesday 30 November 2011

Greater Spotted Woodpecker

This has absolutely nothing to do with New Zealand but a friend in Scotland who figures in my Eagleton Notes and has blogged as Le Jardinier Écossais during his visits to France sent me a photo he had taken of a Greater Spotted Woodpecker.  Those of you who follow Adrian know that that is no mean feat.  I've never achieved it (but then I'm rarely ever in a position to - there are none in New Zealand nor on Lewis).  This was taken through a window but I think it's a cracking picture:


11 comments:

  1. WOW!!! I am so impressed with this woodpecker. I think I've seen some similar but not the same. Nice!! Love that beak.

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  2. The "laugh" of the woodpecker (of course I know they are not laughing - I just don't know how else to describe the sound they make) and their "knocking" noise are sounds that instantly turn a pedestrian spring day into a magic day for me.

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  3. She is a beauty. I have been thinking of Woodpeckering today. I'm a glutton for punishment.

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  4. GB, for some reason your blog is not showing up in my blog reader...have you changed the settings?

    I thought you must be having a break from blogging.

    SP

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  5. Thanks. David said he'd been trying for a long time but, like I seem to remember you saying, Adrian, it was not an easy bird to capture.

    SP: No I haven't changed any settings. I have had to re-add at least two of the people I was following to the reader again. You were one and 'An English Travel Writer' was another. Blogger is sometimes a bit of a problem at the moment.

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  6. There is a woodpecker here in America that is now thought to be extinct. (Although one of my friends has convinced me she has seen it!) Do you know what people called it? It was known as the "GOOD GOD" bird, because it was so startling in its beauty, that is what people would say when they saw it!
    This photo reminded me of that heartfelt uttered phrase!

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  7. That's a splendid photo indees. I've never seen a woodpecker close up like that.

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  8. Cor, amazing. I don't think I have even seen a woodpecker in real life, although I often hear them. If I had spotted this one at my peanuts, I'd have been so excited I'm sure I would have dropped the camera or accidentally taken a pic of the smudges on the window pane instead.

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  9. Hi,

    Thank you for that lovely picture of the woodpecker. Brought back memories of when we used to live in Sussex. One used to visit the birdtable every day at 6.30pm - give or take 10 minutes.

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  10. You're right! I've disappeared from the list. What a swizz,

    I'm going back on again...RIGHT NOW!

    SP

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  11. At least the nuts are in focus! Blasted wind.

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