MOSTLY BIRDS BUT OTHER CREATURES TOO

 All these shots were taken in June and July. I have just chosen a few, a mishmash of anything in my     garden. Two shots are of the male juvenile woodpecker that came to my balcony on it's own.

As you can see there is very little green grass left after the blazing sun burnt most of it

I saw this lizard jump up and catch the damselfly in flight,

Buganvília

The Red Underwing Moth  Catocala nupta

I saw this moth outside the kitchen door which is always in the shade. I had to lighten it a little, -

perhaps too much, as a lot of the detail has been lost.

Blue-tit

One morning I saw This Hoopoe on top of our lookout.

I will be linking up to "Wild Bird Wednesday" and "Saturday's Critters"

ADULT FEMALE GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER AND JUNIOR.

The Great Spotted Woodpecker raised two chicks but one didn't make it. One day a female chick came with her mother but it was plain to see she had been injured, perhaps in a fight with a larger bird, but she was in a sorry state. She had lost one eye and the socket looked infected, she had also lost a claw and had several angry looking wounds on her body. That was the first and last time I saw her, but the other chick a male, although dirty, looked healthy, and accompanied it's mother everywhere, and to my delight came to my balcony often to eat the cake crumbs. Although the adult fed from the top of the wooden box, in true woodpecker style the youngster made a hole in the bottom corner of the box and ate from there. which meant that lots of fine cake crumbs fell to the ground, but the robin made short work of them. I wish these captures could have been better images but the railings and the wrought iron gate over my window impeded my endeavors and the the head movements didn't help either. All photos were taken early morning in deep shade, so had to be lightened for me to share them but many are still dark.

These are the only photos I managed to take of the adult female and the male chick  together in a tree.

Here you can see the the mother feeding her chick.

Again you can see the chick being fed. 

At this early stage of the chick's development, the adult female fed it regularly.

The female Great Spotted Woodpecker was such a devoted parent, she tirelessly fed her chick although at times she looked exhausted.

All the mother's attention was focused on feeding the young chick with great care and tenderness.

I felt privileged to witness these precious moments.

Linking to Saturday's Critters, and Wild Bird Wednesday  If you would like to check them out, click on the icons on the right sidebar. You won't be disappointed to see birds, and many different creatures from around the world. You too can join in by posting a pet, or any creature you like on Eileen's blog. "Saturday's Critters", or a bird on Stewarts blog. 

GRUBBY GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER:

This summer a Great Spotted Woodpecker made it's nest in one of the trees on my driveway I had noticed the comings and goings of the woodpeckers and found their nesting hole where I waited, hoping to catch a glimpse of one or another, but after waiting some considerable time, I withdrew from my hiding place as I knew that they would eventually make their way to my balcony. The female came one dull cloudy morning looking decidedly dirty and disheveled. Her soiled face which was almost unrecognizable told me that she had been grubbing to feed her chicks. She lay on the ledge for a while just resting before making a move towards the peanuts, and I took advantage of her visit as the following images will show. 

 

. I never saw her male counterpart, and assumed she was raising her chicks by herself. I learned later she raised two chicks and she came to my balcony every day to  get the cake crumbs to feed them. 

I w1ll be linking up to Eileen's blog "Saturday's Critters" and "Wild Bird Wednesday" Stewards blog.