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green woodpecker (at last!!!!!) (1 Viewer)

A

annap

Active member
Until today, I'd never seen a green woodpecker and had posted 2 messages on this forum for some advice as to where was best to see one. However, today we visited Low Barns reserve in Co Durham and saw a green woodpecker from the hide at the main lake. My boyfriend was looking for kingfishers through the scope and spotted the woodpecker in a tree. Needless to say, we were both delighted and had some good views. We also saw grey wagtails and a kingfisher along with the usual heron, swans etc.

I hope I don't have to wait as long to see another!

Anna
 
Congrats on your first sightings of the Green Woodpecker Anna, they are a superb bird. I was there on Sat, saw the Kingfisher, Blackcap, Pied Flycatcher and Grey Wagtail but no sign of the Woodpecker, I am envious! Good birding ;)
 
Nice one Anna, i am still waiting for my 1st greenwoodpecker.
bert.
 
Hi Anna,
Pleased you saw a yaffle.

Ive just had a message about a recent Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, amazingly its within the City of Sunderland limits!!
PM me if you'd like any details, although i should imagine that its a bit harder to locate than a Green......

Regards Stevie.
 
Nice one. Took me flipping ages to see a Bullfinch!!

Just to depress you Green Woodpeckers are fairly common down here. I've seen a few by the side of the road as I drive around Harlow.
 
Well done on the sighting Anna.

I have seen Green Woodpeckers at Low Barns on a couple of occasions but only once with a decent view and never from the main hide. They seem to get reported frequently enough but are very hard to spot in this area. Kingfishers I have more luck with, but at Low Barns they too can be hit and miss. I have had some great views of them though from the main hide.
 
pduxon said:
Nice one. Took me flipping ages to see a Bullfinch!!

Just to depress you Green Woodpeckers are fairly common down here. I've seen a few by the side of the road as I drive around Harlow.
Click to expand...

Green Woodpeckers are also common here, but It took me nearly 5 years to see a Little Owl and I knew the area where they Breed.
 
Congrats on your sighting heard them at Low Barns but never seen them at this site, same with Kingfisher still a nice reserve and always worth a visit.

Cuddy.
 
Ian,
Maybe you carrying around all that 'photog' gear around makes it hard for you to spot large,bright, noisy, resident species. ;)

They are no harder to spot at Low Barns as they are at the very many other breeding locations in that general area, or in the County.

Ian,
As for Kingfishers.... well if you cant locate one at this time of year :eek!: (at Low Barns) (with all the young birds flying about).......... There are 3-4 resident pairs between Witton Park & Witton le Wear.
!Kingfishers are Not "Hit & Miss" at Low Barns! More like a 9 out of 10 success rate there. About half of all Kngfshrs i've seen being heard first.

Regards, Happy Birdwatching.
SE.
 
I guess it's down to pot luck whether you see them or not. With Greenies I'd say I'm lucky to see or hear them one in six visits at Low Barns.

Kingfishers are more common, but there's a difference between hearing / seeing a brief glimpse and getting a good view of a perched bird whilst feeding. I know of better places locally for that.

There are always plenty of birds about at Low Barns usually with something interesting to see.
 
annap said:
Until today, I'd never seen a green woodpecker and had posted 2 messages on this forum for some advice as to where was best to see one. However, today we visited Low Barns reserve in Co Durham and saw a green woodpecker from the hide at the main lake. My boyfriend was looking for kingfishers through the scope and spotted the woodpecker in a tree. Needless to say, we were both delighted and had some good views. We also saw grey wagtails and a kingfisher along with the usual heron, swans etc.

I hope I don't have to wait as long to see another!

Anna
Click to expand...

Fantastic! I had never seen green woodpecker in Lancashire until a few years ago when a juvenile popped up near my (then) home in Kearsley. I saw my first just a few years before that in Cornwall although I now know that I saw my first unconfirmed bird in Oxfordshire over a decade ago. If anyone really wants to see this super bird then I recommend The Lodeg and I see them most days cycling into work.
 
anna

annap said:
Until today, I'd never seen a green woodpecker and had posted 2 messages on this forum for some advice as to where was best to see one. However, today we visited Low Barns reserve in Co Durham and saw a green woodpecker from the hide at the main lake. My boyfriend was looking for kingfishers through the scope and spotted the woodpecker in a tree. Needless to say, we were both delighted and had some good views. We also saw grey wagtails and a kingfisher along with the usual heron, swans etc.

I hope I don't have to wait as long to see another!

Anna
Click to expand...
good to see any woodpecker,ive got 1 nesting not far from me and also a spooted woody but good for u dj
 
annap said:
Until today, I'd never seen a green woodpecker and had posted 2 messages on this forum for some advice as to where was best to see one. However, today we visited Low Barns reserve in Co Durham and saw a green woodpecker from the hide at the main lake. My boyfriend was looking for kingfishers through the scope and spotted the woodpecker in a tree. Needless to say, we were both delighted and had some good views. We also saw grey wagtails and a kingfisher along with the usual heron, swans etc.

I hope I don't have to wait as long to see another!

Anna
Click to expand...

Well done Anna, and also Pauliev69 on the Kingfisher.

Without sounding predictable, or a whinge! - needless to say I visited the same reserve on the day in between (Sunday) - I again await Kingfisher & Yaffle - (I almost claimed the charity box thing in the shop as that is clearly a large G Woodpecker lol).

All I got was wet, and spent most of the time trying to keep an enthusiatic 7 year old quiet. Maybe best to go without kinder methinks. On a separate note, I spent a lot of Saturday chasing around trying to glimpse Grasshopper Warbler at Shibdon Pond area (near football fields) - clearly heard, but in the heavy rain, the other hald was not sharing my thrill of the chase.

Just to add insult to moisture, the fabled Far Pasture Kingfisher remains that way. This weekend i discovered how it was for the first time to go out and not pick up a lifer - however, I console myself with the thoughts they are still there and eventually things will pick up ;)
 
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