Great Spotted Woodpecker ... or not (1 Viewer)

T

Taxboy

Well-known member

• Apr 10, 2014

• #1

A quick question to try and confirm the ID of a woodpecker in our UK garden.

My other half told me she'd seen a balck and white woodpecker on the peanut feeder today with a red cap but it wasn't as big as the regaular GS Woodpeckers that are regular but was more dumpy in shape.

My question is how long do juvenile GSW have their red cap for or do we possibly have a lesser spotted visiting us.

When I showed her my ID guide she said it looked a bit like this one ....... a Syrian Woodpecker. I said if that was the case she had better prepare herself for a lot of people with scopes in our drive

 

Z

Zheljko

Well-known member

• Apr 10, 2014

• #2

Check Middle Spotted as well.

Syrians are well-shaped birds, not so worryingly thin as our local GSW but not chunky in any way either - just how I would imagine a perfectly shaped woodpecker. We had successful breeding last year in our neighborhood, and I saw one bird the other day so I hope they will breed again. They prefer orchard-gardens to forests (which are GSW habitat here).

 

foresttwitcher

Virtually unknown member

• Apr 10, 2014

• #3

Zheljko said:

Check Middle Spotted as well.

Click to expand...

I'm afraid there are no Middle Spotted in the UK Zheljko.

 

Cristian Mihai

Cristian Mihai

• Apr 11, 2014

• #4

A Lesser Spotted is a very small bird (comparison with a GSW). On the other hand, a bird that hatched last spring has to have a full adult plumage now...

 

JoeRawles

Feathers Wild Bird Care

• Apr 11, 2014

• #5

Lesser Spotted is roughly the size of a Sparrow so you'd certainly notice the size difference. The red crown on the juvenile Great Spots will last until the first moult around about the Autumn but it will start fading back to the nape sooner. Either way, it's still too early for juvenile Great Spots so if it definitely had a red crown, and not just a red nape, then it could be a lesser spotted.

 

T

Taxboy

Well-known member

• Apr 11, 2014

• #6

Thanks for that. I'll have to see if it returns. A l spotted would complete the set for my garden list.