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.
11 comments:
Dear Sonjia:)
I love to see your beautiful photos from the Great Spotted Woodpecker. You get always so nice photos of it. I can see why it comes to visit you. It loves your peanuts :)
I have not seen "mine" here for a very long time. They used to be here a lot in winter.
All the best to you. Many hugs!
Marit
Marit
Those chicks will grow up expecting cake! No wonder she nested at your house. Good eats. Thanks for the pictures.
Beautiful and captivating photos.
She does look in rather a bad way. It seems to be such hard work for parent birds to keep their chicks fed. I am lucky to have Great Spotted Woodpeckers nesting here. This year I have seen quite a few holes, but haven't seen them going in or out. Last year there was a nest in a tree where I walk the dogs in the mornings and the woodpecker chicks were very noisy!
Your patience paid off beautifully, capturing not just the rare sight of the female woodpecker but also a glimpse into the tireless devotion of a parent in the wild
She does look a little dirty and disheveled but she is doing a great job feeding her chicks. A very nice collection of photographs.
All the best Jan
She knew where to find the good eats :)
The poor bird was exhausted the first time by the look of her. Such a great parent!
What a lovely reward for your patient watching; nature always seems to reveal itself in the quietest moments. I love nature. That weary mother woodpecker, grubby and all, says so much about devotion. Did she return often after that visit?
That woodpecker has a grumpy face :-) So cute!
Dear Sonjia,
What a beautiful series of photos of the woodpecker.
It's good that you're feeding them, so she can raise her chicks.
Every little bit helps, as I always say.
I wish you a lovely Tuesday.
Best regards Irma
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