This week I got third time lucky searching for the green woodpecker at Edenmill. The green woodpecker is also known as a “yaffle” because of its mocking, laughing call. It certainly seemed to be laughing at me trying to spot it and was a case of heard but not seen. There is one pair at Edenmill and they were re-establishing their bond by calling to each other. This helped me look in the right direction for them, although it felt like looking for a needle in a haystack at times. However below is my very first photo of one.
It has a green back which camouflages it when it is poking about on the ground feasting on its staple diet of ants. There is a brighter yellow patch on its tail and it has a red cap. It is bigger than a great spotted woodpecker but seemed to have a similar flight style.
I’ve not been able to get too close to one yet, but have to feel blessed just to have seen one at all. Today I met a lady who’d been visiting six times to look for it. I do hope her perseverance rewards her.
Great spotted woodpeckers are the most common type of woodpecker in Scotland. Here at Edenmill they could be heard drumming. Green woodpeckers rarely drum, as they don’t have such tough beaks. They will only drill into soft wood.
I was pleased with this photo of the great spotted woodpecker. Of course my next goal is to try and get as sharp an image of the green woodpecker! That might take many more visits yet.
Sarah's Wildlife Watch 