I have recently been given the utter privilege to make use of a completely private wood quite close to my home.  Thanks to my friend Dick and the owner of the woodland, Terry.  Yesterday I did a little bit of preparation and today my observations began. My main focus is going to be Jay, Green Woodpecker, Greater – Spotted Woodpecker and Buzzard.  I  set up a couple of feeding stations yesterday and when I went for a look this morning I was amazed at the amount  of activity. I set about building  a hide overlooking the "action" and once it was finished I spent a wonderful couple of hours photographing the visitors. I couldn't  help but smile, in fact almost laugh out loud when the birds came thick and fast.  It was mostly Coal Tits at first, I could hear a Woodpecker constantly. I have no doubt whatsoever that sooner or later, probably sooner, I will get some good woodpecker photos and I am really looking forward to that. But for this afternoon I had to be content with Nuthatches and tits. It was a wonderful afternoon and I cant wait for the next session. I caught sight of a probable Spotted Flycatcher but couldn't get my lens focused on it, but that was very encouraging.  The Nuthatches were really glorious, what a bird species this is, it's going to be "dead easy" to get some stunning photographs of them, just imagine, these pictures  today were just the first ones with very little preparation of what is going to be many sessions in the coming weeks and months.  This post is to show Terry and Dick what I have been up to today and also to give you a taste of what is to come.

One of the first shots from the new hide, a Nuthatch, how good is that! I got the impression that this was a newly fledged bird and not an adult,

Even only a baby, it's already the king of the feeder and throwing it's weight about.

A feature of this species is the ability to move up and down a trunk or branch upside down.

So hanging upside down is not really a problem.

I think an adult would be more blue and less grey than this.

This is an adult, probably male, Blue Tit in a classic pose.

This is a Coal Tit, males and females are identical.  Compare the beak of this with the Blue Tits, a sure indicator that the two species feed in a different way and that's why they don't compete with each other.

I'm pretty sure that this is a female…….. well I would stake my house on it.

Compare the one above to this obvious male, who was showing quite a degree of aggression but its really good to compare the two and see how much more strongly marked and coloured the male is.

It was nice to sit dry inside my new hide while the birds were getting drenched like this Great Tit.