I look forward to early and mid June every year because it is when the the fledgling great spotted woodpeckers arrive in the garden. For a day or two they are unable to feed themselves so there is an opportunity to take more photos, although I don't know why as I already have plenty of good pictures of woodpeckers feeding their young. It is a challenge as the youngsters are always moving about or sitting on the wrong side of a branch or tree, just out of view of the camera, and it is fairly dark under the trees.
In the days before fledging there is a constant stream of adult woodpeckers carrying off bits of peanuts and suet to the nests. When the youngsters are first brought to the garden by their parents they sit high in the trees but they soon come down nearer the feeders. To improve my chances I put up an old weathered fence post just beyond the peanut feeders in the hope that it would be a suitable perch. One pair were very obliging and here are the results.
I saw the first youngster feeding independently over two weeks ago and another being fed yesterday morning so fledging from different nests is staggered over several days - I saw, or rather first heard, a nest still occupied in Harwood Forest this morning. By next week I expect all the young birds will be feeding themselves and their parents can take a well-earned rest and get on with moulting.
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