Bird Identification - Help!!

[jenny_p]

Hope somebody on here can help me.
This morning, I saw what I am sure was a woodpecker in my garden. I am used to seeing green woodpeckers and lesser spotted woodpeckers as there is no shortage of them where I live.
However, this one was quite definitely neither of these. Although it looked for all the world like a spotted woodpecker, it not only had no red head, it had quite definite yellow markings - bright yellow!
I can't be sure precisely where these yellow markings were (I know, sounds dumb, doesn't it?) as the bird in question was hanging on to, and weaving its way through the branches of a very large cotoneaster. Whether or not it was eating the berries or picking off insects, I just couldn't see, but I got the impression that the yellow was around its head and cheeks.
I've been desperately searching through reference material trying to find out what it was, and the closest I can get is the Three Toed Woodpecker - although I have to say that the photographs and illustrations that I've found online don't look anywhere near as yellow as the bird that I saw, and not enough of it, either!
Anybody got any ideas? The light was very good - slightly overcast but bright, and I was directly at eye level with the bird, about 20 feet away.

[Ollie]

Originally Posted by jenny_p

Hope somebody on here can help me.
This morning, I saw what I am sure was a woodpecker in my garden. I am used to seeing green woodpeckers and lesser spotted woodpeckers as there is no shortage of them where I live.
However, this one was quite definitely neither of these. Although it looked for all the world like a spotted woodpecker, it not only had no red head, it had quite definite yellow markings - bright yellow!
I can't be sure precisely where these yellow markings were (I know, sounds dumb, doesn't it?) as the bird in question was hanging on to, and weaving its way through the branches of a very large cotoneaster. Whether or not it was eating the berries or picking off insects, I just couldn't see, but I got the impression that the yellow was around its head and cheeks.
I've been desperately searching through reference material trying to find out what it was, and the closest I can get is the Three Toed Woodpecker - although I have to say that the photographs and illustrations that I've found online don't look anywhere near as yellow as the bird that I saw, and not enough of it, either!
Anybody got any ideas? The light was very good - slightly overcast but bright, and I was directly at eye level with the bird, about 20 feet away.

Hi Jenny and welcome to WAB. can't think of any other bird than the Green Woodpecker or Great Spotted Woodpecker.
I'm assuming you are in the UK and if so what part of UK it might help someone else to identify your bird
Roger

[Pigeon feather]

Hi Jenny could it have possibly been a nuthatch? check our Gallery there are many pictures there of this bird, it does also resemble a woodpecker to some extent!

[seamusagleann]

at a rough guess i would say waxwing ...they love cottoneaster berries

[Adam Cheeseman]

Female spotted woodpeckers don't have red on their heads and the bright yellow could be pollen staining. Incidentally are you sure your Lesser Spotteds aren't Great Spotteds. I only ask because you say you have plenty of them and I don't anywhere or anyone who claims to have plenty of Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers anymore, they are disappearing at an alarming rate.

Cheers,

Adam

[Adam Cheeseman]

PS: Three-toed Woodpecker - never been seen in Britain and not likely to be as they aren't migratory in the normal sense of the term.

Cheers,

Adam

[paulchandler6]

Was the bird mainly black and white? Roughly what size was it. What part of the UK do you live in?

Paul

[jenny_p]

Thanks to all for the replies - seems easiest to answer in one post, so:-
1. Definitely not a Nuthatch
2. Definitely not a Waxwing
3. I'm in Buckinghamshire - very rural location
4. Now I'm really confused about Lesser and Greater Spotted Woodpeckers. I've always thought 'our' woodpeckers are the Lesser Spotted, but I'm not a 'birder' (is that the right terminology) so I'm probably wrong. In fact, I've just looked them up, and it seems they're only about 6" in size, so I think it must be Greater Spotted ones we've got. Not very good at this am I?! I just like looking at birds! Certainly the bird that I saw this morning was a lot bigger than 6".
4. Yes, the bird was mainly black and white

Anyway, it was the bright yellow markings that really puzzled me once I started to try and work out what the bird might have been. It certainly didn't look like pollen staining to me - the colour was far too even and regular.

[paulchandler6]

Jenny,

Lesser spotted Woodpeckers are pretty scarce around these parts and about the size of a sparrow. You probably see Great spotted regular.
Maybe a female Great spot that shows very little red?

Paul

[jenny_p]

Originally Posted by paulchandler6

Jenny,

Lesser spotted Woodpeckers are pretty scarce around these parts and about the size of a sparrow. You probably see Great spotted regular.
Maybe a female Great spot that shows very little red?

Paul

Yes - definitely must be the Greater Spotted that I see regularly in that case.

The yellow colouration was so pronounced thatI'm starting to think I was hallucinating.

I shall be keeping my eyes peeled and have the camera ready on my desk should my visitor return!