Lesser Spotted Woodpecker Pair

Hi there!

We're lucky enough to have a pair of lesser spotted woodpeckers visiting our bird feeder almost every day and wanted to share our pictures. We've even seen them sharing the food with the smaller birds - we love them!

This evening we watched the male collect food and give it to the female who was sitting on the fence. Can anybody tell us why they might do this? Is it a mating ritual?

Thank you!