At my Peregrine hide I have set up a little feeder so that when I am sitting waiting for action at the nest ledge and things are a little quiet I have got something to keep me interested. it's been good fun and I have started to get some interesting birds coming in. These have included Great-spotted Woodpecker, Marsh Tit and the other usual tit species. Considering that the feeder is less than 3 feet from me when I am in the hide, it was great to have the woodpecker there yesterday. They are still common at the hide area inspite of the Peregrines predating at least – to my knowledge that is – 15 last year.  This is a very attractive, some would see exotic species and the wings in flight are particularly striking.  You can see how a Peregrine would have very little trouble sighting this species in flight and I would suggest that evolution has dealt a bad hand to the Great-spotted Woodpecker.  This is a male by the way.  Females have no red on the head and oddly, juveniles are more coloured than both their parents with red on the front of the  head.

This is another one of those species that we think of as British but they are widespread across Europe and Asia.  They have become more common in the UK in the last 25 years and I have even had the privilege  of one on my garden feeder.  They are a nuisance in the breeding season because they will break in to the nest boxes of small tits and flycatchers and eat the chicks or eggs, not a very endearing habit.  They love peanuts and this is why they can be attracted to the garden and feeders particularly, hence this one feeding from my "hide" feeder.  I hope to get more…… many more photos of this species in flight.

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