Woodpeckers

Great Spotted Woodpeckers have been regular visitors to our garden ever since we moved in here, but generally more in winter than summer, and we've had no evidence of them breeding in the small woodland behind us. This year, though, we've had lots of drumming, and very regular visits by both male and female through the spring, so we're pretty sure they're nesting close by. That's good, but it brings into play the less attractive (to us) side of the woodpecker - that they predate the nests of other birds.

We were woken the other morning by a loud tapping noise from just outside our window. I wondered whether it was a blackbird prospecting the gutter - moss grows readily on our gently sloping tile roof, and chunks of it end up in the gutter, where blackbirds and jackdaws often examine it hoping to find invertebrates to eat. Ann, however, immediately identified the sound as a woodpecker trying to break into the nest box, which is currently being used by blue tits. A bang on the window, and there was a distinctive blur of black and white as the culprit fled back into the wood.

Since then the woodpecker has been back quite a few times. Each time we've heard it, we've acted quickly to scare it off, but the damage is being done, and the hole is much larger than it should be. Whether any of the chicks will survive to fledge I'm not sure, but at present the parent blue tits are still busily attending and feeding, so we can but hope.

The nest box, with woodpecker damage around the hole.

This nest box has been in place since before we moved in here, so was due for replacement anyway. We'll need to make sure that the new one has the nest hole protected by a metal front. A reminder, if we needed it, that nature is red in tooth and claw (and, in this case, quite fearsome beak).