woodpecker Archives - Page 2 of 3 - Craig Rogers Photography

Morning Dog Walk: Lesser Spotted Woodpecker Drumming (Video)

17th March 201917th March 2019Craig Rogers

I take a camera along on my Dog Walks to bring you some of the sightings that I see on my morning walks, these photos are rarely going to be great quality as its hard enough keeping an energetic Dog entertained and get close enough to anything. They also help me identify where species are so that I can plan to return.

You may remember a post (excuse the pun) a while back about the damage Woodpeckers have do to our Telephone pole. Yesterday’s walk (there wasn’t one this morning as I was recovering from Wales winning the Grand Slam and 6 Nations Rugby!) I spotted a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker on the very same pole.

Sorry for the not so steady video, but videoing hand held at 400mm isn’t easy. The jangling you can hear is Wally’s collar and the chirping is from a large family of House Sparrows.

Woodpeckers drum at this time of year to attract females and you can often hear them drumming on metal and concrete poles as they are much louder than wood. He who drums the loudest will attract the females. As you’d expect, the drumming is a lot quieter than the Great Spotted Woodpecker but still carries a long distance.

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Morning Dog Walk: Woodpeckers And Pipits

17th February 201917th February 2019Craig Rogers

What a difference a day makes, yesterday it felt like summer, today even though its not cold it is very overcast with some (still needed) rain forecast. The light was terrible for photography, but I took the camera on our walk anyway! I did go back to look for the Blue Rock Thrush from yesterdays Nature Walk, but no sign of it.

The Woodpeckers were active this morning and this pesky Great Spotted Woodpecker was on our Telephone Pole again! Last time, I made the (terrible) joke of the Internet being unstable due to the holes in the pole, this time…… I think there’s a tap on the line, yes, I should give up the one-liners!

Morning Dog Walk: Lesser Spotted Woodpecker

2nd October 20182nd October 2018Craig Rogers

The area around the Quinta has a high population of Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers and they are usually easy to spot, however, taking a photo is a different matter. This morning whilst out with the Dog I heard one tapping away on branch of a Cork Oak tree. I managed to lie down on the track and slide into a position to take this photo before it noticed me.

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I Think My Internet Is Unstable

25th September 201825th September 2018Craig Rogers

This is one of the poles that carries the phone line to our Quinta. Just look at the Woodpecker damage it has. If you look closely you can see where the Woodpeckers have exploited the natural cracks in the grain where bugs have been living.

I think some strong wind may take this pole out. In case you are wondering, the mountain top you can see in the distance on the first photo is the summit of Fóia

Morning Dog Walk: Woodpeckers A-plenty!

9th July 20189th July 2018Craig Rogers

On this morning’s walk, there were birds everywhere! I saw many Golden Orioles (not close enough for photos), Bee Eaters, Barn Swallows, Woodchat Shrikes, Grey Wagtails, Iberian Magpies, various Warblers, plus many more! However, one thing I couldn´t help but notice was the number of both Lesser and Greater Spotted Woodpeckers accompanied with the noisy Iberian Green Woodpeckers.

A Lesser Spotted Woodpecker landed in a nearby tree and I managed to get a quick snap before it flew away. As you can see, it has a small red cap which isn’t yet fully grown, therefore, this is a young Male.

Male Iberian Green Woodpecker (with Video)

17th June 201817th June 2018Craig Rogers

This morning I got into position to photograph Golden Orioles, however, they decided not to show up. Whilst I was waiting, a male Iberian Green Woodpecker showed up. I think this is a young bird due to the mottled colouring on its neck and back. The male has a red moustache that is absent on the female. Portuguese for Woodpecker is Pica-pau and the Iberian Green is known as the Pica-pau-verde (verde meaning green).

Although similar, the Iberian species has been split from the European Green Woodpecker. The main difference is the lack of the black mask on the face. The habitat and voice are very similar. The Picus sharpei (scientific name) can be found in Spain, Portugal and the bordering areas in South-West France. They prefer dry open-woodland which is why we have large numbers of them in our local area. It’s favourite food is Ants in which they certainly have a large selection to choose from here!

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