Swarovski 80HD Kyocera SL400R

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Dendrocopos major 23cm

A striking bird, with contrasting black and white plumage offset by vivid red undertail coverts, the male is distinguished by a red patch on the nape (the featured bird is a female!).

I've got quite a few shots of Great Spotted Woodpeckers that have not made it to the website. Although not particularly uncommon, they have a low tolerance for close human presence which has often frustrated my attempts to photograph them.

This winter we have a female that is visiting our garden feeding station regularly, we've also seen another pair of Greater Spotted Woodpeckers in the vicinity and the male of the pair has also visited our feeding station.