Info about woodpeckers

[Mousie]

A pair, I think, of spotted woodpeckers are more or less living in my garden, much to the blue tits disgust. They are hilarious to watch, having to use their tails not only for balance but to hold the fat balls still as otherwise they hit them so hard they bounce back and nearly catapult the bird off!

Where do they nest?? And how do you tell the sexes apart? Both have red on their undersides and tops of their heads, but they seem to be a pair

[aeshna5]

Your Great-spotted Woodpeckers excavate their own holes in trees.

The male has a red nape (back of the neck) which the female lacks. When the juveniles leave home they can be identified by their red crowns.

[John]

Below are four photos I have taken. They are of (in order) the male, female then the juvenile. You will note the different markings on each bird.

BTW I have a pair all the time in my garden and the other birds take absolutely no notice of them and feed alongside of them.

Male


Female


Juvenile


John

[scout]

Originally Posted by Mousie

A pair, I think, of spotted woodpeckers are more or less living in my garden, much to the blue tits disgust.

Are the Blue Tits nesting in your garden?

I ask because GSWs have been known to break in and take young Blue Tits, and that's probably the reason why the Blue Tits are "disgusted" by the presence of the GSWs

[Mousie]

I've got two males then!

The blue tits are mad because the woodpeckers hog the fat balls and the nuts. The rule seems to be up to eight tits at a time on one fatball, but only one woodpecker! If they land on the same ball by mistake, they get a large beak stabbed in their direction and retreat hastily! They are amazing when they run up the poles that the nuts are hanging on, but the tits def find their sudden appearance that way sneaky!

[Elizabeth B]

Originally Posted by scout

Are the Blue Tits nesting in your garden?

I ask because GSWs have been known to break in and take young Blue Tits, and that's probably the reason why the Blue Tits are "disgusted" by the presence of the GSWs

Back in 2003, a great spotted woodpecker took three of our bluetit chicks. It didn't have to break into the box - it just reached in through the hole (bluetit sized and protected with a metal plate) and grabbed them one at a time.