Tuesday 2 January 2024

THE GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER and the EUROPEAN JAY

Happy New Year everyone :=) I hope 2024 will bring us joy like no other year. I wish you all much love and happiness with good health, and especially to those of us who have problems of one kind or another the strength and courage to see the way forward. As this is my first post of the year I have endeavoured to make it both beautiful and add an element of fun with  the  endearing  G.S.Woodpecker who is a regular visitor to my balcony. and I have been searching through my latest photos to make you smile as I do when I see his cute face peering over the balcony ledge. I hope I have succeeded.


What do you think of "Will" for his name? Will the Woodpecker, rolls off the tongue quite nicely, unless this image is of a female.:=) You see there are two, male and female, and unless I can see the red patch of colour on the back of the head, I can't tell the difference between them.


The female could be called "Wilhelmina the Woodpecker" although it is more of a mouthful,:=) Perhaps you are thinking why give them names at all, and the answer to that is because I have become very fond of them, as they are welcome visitors every day, and as I have already mentioned there heads looking over the ledge give me enormous pleasure. Their undeniable cuteness always raises a smile from me.


A closeup of the beautiful European Jay.





White Azalea in bloom in the garden.



About to fly towards my balcony.


Dianthus flowers are still in bloom


A closer look


A  Eurasian Jay actually on my balcony.





A Camellia in full bloom.



On the same large shrub these Camellia buds will soon be  blooming.
 


Hello and Good Morning :=)


Your breakfast awaits you.


More Azalea buds.


Some Azalea's are already blooming






I like to see the windswept feathers on top of the head.


Another closeup of the European Jay


This is Will! You can just see a little of the red patch on the back of his head.



To finish my post I am closing with the same image as my first one.:=). I have decided to call the female Woodpecker Wilma as it seems to be the most popular name. A big thank you for everyone's best wishes for Christmas and New Year. I hope you had a happy time and celebrated both with loved ones. I will be visiting soon.

32 comments:

Irma said...

What a beautiful series of photos these are.
The jay and the woodpecker are my favorites.
I wish you and all your loved ones a happy but above all a healthy 2024.
Greetings Irma

Marit said...

Dear Sonjia :)

It is a great pleasure for me to see all your lovely pictures. The Jay and the Woodpecker are very pretty, and your closeups are so clear. Your flowers are also very beautiful. I love to see your Camellia and Azalea. I long for spring when I see them.

Many hugs, and my best wishes to you. Take care!

Marit

David James Slater said...

And a Happy New Year to you Sonjia. Yvette has tested Negative but I am still positive.However your photographs have cheered me up.Here it's been very stormy so I have not been out and I have seen few birds in my garden.

Angie's Recipes said...

Gosh, you took some really wonderful bird pictures. So many birds that I have never seen.

eileeninmd said...

Hello Sonjia,
What a lovely post to start the New Year. I love both of these birds too, I would love to see them in person too. They are wonderful visitors to your garden, lucky you! Your flowers are beautiful, a lovely sight for me to see this time of the year. I wish you all the best in 2024, a very happy and healthy New Year. Take care, have a great day and happy week ahead!

roentare said...

Love seeing these birds. Exquisite!

Marie Smith said...

I love the birds peeking over the rail. Priceless!

The birds and blooms are a welcome sight!

Mike Attwood said...

Hello Sonjia, What a beautiful post to start the new year. May you make many more. Happy New Year to you and I wish you the best of health and wealth.
Mike.

Michelle said...

Nice to see Will and his partner. How lovely that they pay you regular visits!

David M. Gascoigne, said...

Good morning, Sonjia: Well, of course you have to name these birds; they have after all become part of your family. You can’t just address them as, “Hey you!” Will, I approve of for the male. Will has a kind of masculine sound to it, a square jawed hero of the old west, the sheriff that brought law and order to the town. But Wilhelmina seems far too stern and corset-encased for the female. May I propose Wilma. Wilma seems slinky and seductive, a little mysterious even, with charm not yet revealed. Surely that is how a female should be. So there you have it from Nomenclature Subcommittee of the Canadian Bureau of Ornithological Identification of which I am the self-appointed Bureau Chief. Will and Wilma it shall be. Ever your dedicated servant and fervent admirer - David

MadSnapper said...

Of course I am smiling, what a precios face. I would love to see that face every day and would also name them. all of our lizards have names and they all start with L. Leonard, his wife Lizzie, Leona and a few others. thanks for the smiles and beautiful photos. the peanuts in beaks made me smile also

sami niilola said...

Flowers are so beuatiful. European jay is wise and beautiful bird.

Jeanie said...

I love naming the birds and I think Will is a wonderful name for your woodpecker! And a delightful one.

And that European jay is a stunner. I've never seen anything like that before!

Happy New Year!

Linda said...

Marvelous photos! I would name her Wilma.

Veronica Lee said...

Your photos are incredible! Naming your regular visitors adds a special touch to your bond with them. Will suits the woodpecker well, and Wilma has a mysterious charm for the female. It's lovely how these birds brighten your days.

Happy 2024,Sonjia!

John's Island said...

Hello Dear Sonjia, 😊

I especially want to say thank you for all the kind words and wishes in your first paragraph of this post. Yes, your post brings smiles to my face and it’s much appreciated.

I like Will and Wilhelmina and those names are worthy of smiles too. Do keep giving us the names you have given!

I love the way you have folded in the photos of flowers. Beautiful!

The Eurasian Jay is such a beautiful bird!

You have Azalea’s blooming … OMG! So lucky! 😊

Thank you Sonjia for sharing your blog and for your kind comments on mine. Happy New Year to you and yours!

John

Richard Pegler said...

I have really enjoyed this post, with wonderful birds and gorgeous flowers. How lucky you are, Sonjia, to have both Jay and Great Spotted Woodpecker visiting you. I am very envious.

I would like to make a suggestion for a name for the female woodpecker. I think that you could name her 'Weh' - a bit unconventional as a first name but Where there's a Will there's a Weh.

Wishing you a very happy and healthy 2024 - take good care - - - Richard

Shiju Sugunan said...

Lovely post, Sonjia! Fantastic close ups. Keep sharing your garden joy!

eileeninmd said...

Hello Sonjia,
First, I have to say I just love all your flowers. They are beautiful blooms, a lovely and colorful sight to see. Your Woodpecker and the Jay are both beautiful birds and your photos are wonderful. You are lucky to have such cool feathered friends in your garden. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, have a great weekend.

Tom said...

...Sonjia, you have a wonderful collection of birds this week, but on this cold, dark morning the flowers are a treat. Thanks!

magiceye said...

All delightful captures!

Happy new year to you and yours!

EricaSta said...

The holidays are finally over. Now we are looking forward to the upcoming new year. What will the new year 2024 bring us? Hopefully more peace, more insight into sustainability for the whole of nature. It is urgently needed!

Your post is a feast for the eyes in many ways. A very welcome change when I look out of the window and see how rainy and dull it is here. Well... it's January, it's winter time. It's supposed to get really cold in the next few days (-10 C°) and it's supposed to snow.

Best wishes for a healthy, happy new year 2024,
Heidrun

Mae Travels said...

Isn’t it fascinating how some families of birds (like jays, woodpeckers, finches, owls) are in so many of the world’s habitats while others are so specialized — we are on the way back from Costa Rica where the abundant bird life has many in each catgory. Your photos of familiar but different species are enjoyable.

Have a great year in blogging and in real life.
best, mae at maefood.blogspot.com

Villrose said...

Happy New Year!
I also love woodpeckers. We have had a couple here for some years. I only call them Woody Woodpecker :) Nice shots of them. The Eurasian Jay also is a fascinating bird. Haven't seen one so far this year.
/Irene

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

This was a very fun and beautiful post to begin the new year. I like Will. We've named some of our big woodpeckers...woody the woodpecker. And I love that big peanut...what a good snack for later! Hugs!

Teresa said...

Siempre es para mí un placer pasar por tu blog, y esté reportaje es precioso. Gracias por tus deseos y espero y deseo que el nuevo año sea maravilloso para ti y que nos sigamos viéndonos muchos años más. Abrazos fuertes.

RedPat said...

Your pics made me smile indeed. I like the names for your woodpeckers. I name the Robin who comes to my birdbath everyday in the summer months. He feels like an old friend.

Rostrose said...

Dear Sonjia,
these are really adorable photos, both of Will and Wilhelmina Woodpecker (maybe you could shorten her name to Wilma?😉) *) and of the pretty European Jay (who would also deserve a name - perhaps Jason Jay? ).... I'm so happy for you that your visitors bring you joy.
Your last comment to me said that you were in a lot of pain - I really hope that it has improved now! And you apologized to me because you didn't come to read my posts more carefully or didn't know why my readers wished me a speedy recovery. Please, Sonjia, you never have to apologize to me, especially when you're not feeling well yourself! (It was a stubborn infection, but I've gotten rid of it now, thankfully!) Life goes on and we enjoy it as much as we can!
I wish you and everyone you love (humans and animals) a happy, healthy and peaceful New Year 🍄🍀! And I also wish you many more lovely visits that make you smile 😊!
All the best, Traude
https://rostrose.blogspot.com/2024/01/rostrosen-weihnachten-2023-tiergarten.html

*) Ha, funny, I finished writing my comment, then I read David's comment and he also came up with the Wilma idea. So I think the name is perfect 🥰

Lowcarb team member said...

Hello and Happy New Year Wishes.
What a lovely post. I enjoyed seeing all of your photographs.
The close ups were superb and your flowers are so colourful.
I did enjoy seeing Will and Wilhelmina Woodpecker ... sweet names.

Sending my good wises.

All the best Jan

carol l mckenna said...

Wow! Beautiful photos of our avian friends and floral macros ~ thanks,


Wishing you good health, laughter and love in your days,
A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)

Tine de Jong said...

Wonderful start with beautiful pictures to start this year.I liked everything and the jay especially. That bird is sometimes too fast for me and as beautiful as you got this one in front of your lens I have not yet succeeded. Wishing you also a great year and that all may be what you expect.

Bill said...

You captured lots of beauty. Love the birds and the flowers. Wishing you a happy and healthy 2024.

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