Grey-headed Woodpeckers at Fontainebleau? (1 Viewer)

wolfbirder · Nov 16, 2017

Or on Jos’s verandah !!

Well gripped by those photos Jos.

Are they daily there?

How about Hazel Grouse and Greater Spotted Eagle in winter near you?

Torchepot · Nov 16, 2017

wolfbirder said:
....but with Grey-headed timing is everything.

Jos's balcony looks unbeatable!!

but I agree that timing is critical when trying to find them in most other situations (at least in the couple of forests I know of in France where they occur).

They are known as the most "discreet" of peckers by many French birders and can be easily missed.

As I understand it their calling behaviour is triggered by rising temperatures and when it reaches 10 or 12 degrees C in late February or March they kick off.

The best known call is easy to imitate but they have a habit of flying straight overhead and then perching unseen for ages in response (bitter experience!)

Probably better to be patient, follow up on the call and zero in. :t:

Andy Adcock · Nov 16, 2017

GhW is supposed to be common in the St Petersburg area but we've never seen one.

A

Nutcracker · Nov 16, 2017

Torchepot said:
As I understand it their calling behaviour is triggered by rising temperatures and when it reaches 10 or 12 degrees C in late February or March they kick off.

I've noticed the same with Green Woodpeckers here, they only start territorial calling when it regularly reaches around 12-14*C. Which means they don't start until mid March to early April here. Then they're at it solid until early May, and then stop again for the rest of the year.

wolfbirder · Nov 17, 2017

Torchepot said:
They are known as the most "discreet" of peckers by many French birders and can be easily missed.

As I understand it their calling behaviour is triggered by rising temperatures and when it reaches 10 or 12 degrees C in late February or March they kick off.

The best known call is easy to imitate but they have a habit of flying straight overhead and then perching unseen for ages in response (bitter experience!)

Probably better to be patient, follow up on the call and zero in. :t:

Interesting stuff:t:

Yeah I had a calling GH Woody in Hungary, and another in Poland at Bialowieza Zoo. It would sporadically 'yaffle' (as we Brits call it), but despite staring exactly at a series of bare branched trees where the call was coming from, I just could not locate it. Bugger.

Same in Bialowieza Park, heard but not seen, and only the briefest of flights views resulted at the other end of the village.

Still feel its the one pecker I haven't seen properly!

Jos Stratford · Nov 17, 2017

wolfbirder said:
Are they daily there?

How about Hazel Grouse and Greater Spotted Eagle in winter near you?

The Grey-headed Woodpeckers don't come to the feeders in summer, generally from about November through to March, then (depending on the year) up to four daily.

Currently they are around the feeders, but is still very mild and not hopping onto the feeders much, White-backs and Middle Spots already using.

Hazel Grouse all over the place, easy to find tracks in the snow, harder to find the individuals, but a dedicated search 'should' result in success. Closest ones to my feeders are only a few hundred metres and they have strolled right past the peanut feeders on rare occasions ...I dream of a bunch scoffing the titbits dropped by the Grey-headed et al

Great Spotted Eagle, very rare summer visitor in Lithuania, not present in winter at all.

Torchepot said:
As I understand it their calling behaviour is triggered by rising temperatures and when it reaches 10 or 12 degrees C in late February or March they kick off.

Calling here generally starts late Feb/March, though the temperature will still be generally zero or below. Were calling a little bit a week or two back too.

wolfbirder · Nov 17, 2017

Jos Stratford said:
The Grey-headed Woodpeckers don't come to the feeders in summer, generally from about November through to March, then (depending on the year) up to four daily.

Currently they are around the feeders, but is still very mild and not hopping onto the feeders much, White-backs and Middle Spots already using.

Hazel Grouse all over the place, easy to find tracks in the snow, harder to find the individuals, but a dedicated search 'should' result in success. Closest ones to my feeders are only a few hundred metres and they have strolled right past the peanut feeders on rare occasions ...I dream of a bunch scoffing the titbits dropped by the Grey-headed et al

Great Spotted Eagle, very rare summer visitor in Lithuania, not present in winter at all.

Calling here generally starts late Feb/March, though the temperature will still be generally zero or below. Were calling a little bit a week or two back too.

Fair play Jos, was just reading a report on Cloudbirders about some lads you showed around your land, bloody cold though at that time of year!

Andy Adcock · Nov 18, 2017

wolfbirder said:
Fair play Jos, was just reading a report on Cloudbirders about some lads you showed around your land, bloody cold though at that time of year!

A very widespread bird, you could always go and see it in Asia if you don't like the cold. I've seen it easily in China and Cambodia

A

Nutcracker · Nov 18, 2017

andyadcock said:
A very widespread bird, you could always go and see it in Asia if you don't like the cold. I've seen it easily in China and Cambodia

A

Though the Chinese and Cambodian ones are a potential species split (Picus [canus] guerini Black-naped Woodpecker, with a black nape) - see the Opus page for details :t:

I've seen Grey-headed in Bulgaria in the Pirin Mts, and it wasn't cold there either 8-P

Andy Adcock · Nov 18, 2017

Cheers Nutty, wasn't aware of that, what's the southerly limit of jessoensis
and what race is found in Cambodia?

A

Grey-headed Woodpeckers at Fontainebleau? (1 Viewer)

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