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Great Spotted Woodpecker (1st November 2009)

Hi Everyone,

As the weather was bad yesterday and I couldn't go out birdwatching I spent some time dismantling and cleaning all my seed feeders etc.  What a job!  Yes, I know I should do it more often.  I will, I promise!  I then put up a smart new feeding station, which is much taller than my old one and so hopefully will be safer from all the neighbourhood cats.  (I have a cat too but he doesn't seem to bother with the birds on the feeders thank goodness!)  I then filled all the feeders and stood back surveyed my handiwork.  I assumed I wouldn't have any feathered visitors so soon and went indoors and forgot all about it.

Half an hour later I looked out of the window and saw that 'my' woodpecker is back.  I was thrilled as I haven't seen it for ages.  We had a pair visiting in the summer and I had all my fingers and toes crossed that they would come back.  I would like to think that it was checking out the new feeding station, even though I know that the birds are usually suspicious until they get used to something new but it was in the lilac tree next to the feeding station so you never know.  There are still leaves on the tree so I couldn't see it very clearly but I watched it work its way up through the tree and then fly off.  Brilliant!  

I am know hoping that it/they will be regular visitors and so I shall be watching out for them instead of doing anything useful around the house.  ;-))

There is something new to learn everyday...

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