Woodpecker Nesting Habits

[Cheryl]

Earlier today I was walking with my family through woodland and heard what was obviously young birds. We couldn't make out where it was coming from but then noticed a hole in a tree trunk where the sound was obviously coming from.

We've assumed it was young woodpeckers but the thing is the hole was perfectly round about 2" possibly 3" in diameter - do woodpeckers make perfectly symetrical nesting holes?

I can't believe it was man-made - the tree was on a path on NT land close to where they're building the A3 tunnel so the path is used regularly by people going to the Viewing Platform so it wouldn't be an ideal place, in my opinion, to encourage birds to nest as there's bound to be someone who take a look inside and scare the parent bird away

[Deer Stalker]

Hi Cheryl.

Yep, Woodpeckers to can make perfectly round holes. This time of year the young are well developed & very noisy.

[2dogs2000]

Their nest holes are very round. I took this picture on Brownsea Island many years ago. It was my first sighting of a woodpecker and I did see the parent come to feed it. If you look carefully you can just see the side of a chicks face. There is also another nest hole above that one which I assume is an old one.