Black Woodpeckers never use feeders.
Dreamt many a day about this holy grail of the woodpeckers dropping down onto a feeder, wishful thinking indeed. Experimented with different foods over the years, never tempted them in.
Strange tell-tale signs over the last couple of weeks however were beginning to make me wonder if the unimaginable had actually happened - one of the wintering
Black Woodpeckers had been showing a decided interest in the area immediately around the cabin, one heavy-duty feeder had mysteriously become dented in at the bottom. Hmm, years of hammering by even
White-backed Woodpeckers had failed to dent that, it would seem something with a hefty bill was in action.
And then today, crunching through the snow, I topped up the feeders, then retired to my chair at the open door, gas fire on full blast. Many birds in and out, a
Willow Tit new for the year, joining the
Marsh Tits, off yonder one or two of the three
Black Woodpeckers that are wintering this year.
An hour in, temperatures still well below minus 20, in swooped a male Black Woodpecker. A tad nervous, flitting around from tree to tree, probably seeing me quite clearly, the bird seemed very intent on coming in. I froze and crouched a little, onto the feeder tree. Stone me, it really appeared he was going to come to feed, I couldn't believe it. A
Great Tit upset affairs for a second by flying into the cabin straight over my head. Two loops on the room, out the door again. Wriggles around the trunk, sidles down to the feeder, I am astounded - a full-blown male
Black Woodpecker on the feeder four metres in front of my nose!
Bloody amazing!
And there he stayed, near half an hour, back and fro onto the feeder, even down onto the bird table at one stage (a metre and a half from me!).
Middle and Great Spotted Woodpeckers dwarfed by this splendid bird, the titmice mere specks in comparison.
So there we have it, congratulations Larry, not an addition to the year list, but certainly destined to be one of my highlights of the winter.
18. Willow Tit.
.
