Green Woodpeckers in our Gardens

Hi Kathy

As you know my ongoing mission is to get the woodpeckers in our area into my garden admittedly without much success as yet. 

However on Christmas Day just before we were leaving to go over to my sisters, there on the front lawn was a Green Woodpecker digging about like mad - The photo isn't a very good one as it was taken through 2 sets of glass windows, the porch and internal and me hanging precariously over the bannisters trying to get the best shot.

We have a few ant nests based under  and around our porch so it would be reasonable to suppose that it was after them.

 

Hi Kezmo

Fabulous to see a Green Woodpecker looking about for food on your lawn, and a picture to show the event as it happened {big smile}

Yes, I think that your ants will be the exact thing that he is after.  He looks busy in your picture.

Thank you for sharing

Regards

Kathy and Dave

Well done Kezmo - did your OH get a snap of you hanging from the bannisters?

I would love a woodpecker of any description.

Is there any particular way of encouraging ants? I have plenty of log piles and flower tubs.

Wow congrats on the Green Woodpecker Kezmo!  I bet you were excited - and what a Christmas present, I'd be made up to have one visit!

 

I can't say I've ever spotted one round here, although I'm sure they're about.  A friend did say once she spotted one on the walkway a while back.

The last one I saw was in an odd place - on a business park!  I was excited about picking up my new car until I was the Greenie, lol!

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Hi Paul

It is amazing where Green Woodpeckers turn up.  We have seen them in parks, as well as our garden.

Yes, a Business Park would suit their needs as long as there is foodstuff on the ground.

Love their Yaffling call {smile}

Regards

Kathy and Dave

 

Hi all, thanks for your replies

We have always had alot of ants out the front - only know this as sometimes they come into the house and it is always from the front they emerge.

We had a new driveway laid in the summer so alot of the ant nests were disturbed.  Once the driveway was finished I started putting lots of planters out the front and 2 or 3 of these were soon infested with ants, so not so good for my plants but obviously a bonanza for the Green Woodpecker. 

It does solve a mystery for me - I'd noticed how alot of my grass and soil looked churned up near to the porch so I'm wondering now if he has been there before and I never realised it , I assumed it was the hedgehogs. 

Hi Sparrow, OH was too busy holding my backside while I was hanging over the bannister to stop me falling so couldn't really get a photo of me LOL! 

 

Unknown said:

OH was too busy holding my backside while I was hanging over the bannister to stop me falling so couldn't really get a photo of me LOL! 

LOL Kezmo, the things we go through for our birds!

Hi Kezmo

Now that is a good indicator of the population of Ants that you have in your porch area.

The Green Woodpecker will be back no doubt in the near future.

I hope that the Ants are to 'not' distructive with your plants, and you sort the issue out.

There you go you never know what wildlife you will end up in your garden area.  I often wondered if any wildlife would eat ants, and now we know.  Not sure about Hedgehogs eating habits though

Hope your ants are killed off a little more every day for Woodpecker fooder.

Regards

Kathy and Dave

Unknown said:

Hi all, thanks for your replies

We have always had alot of ants out the front - only know this as sometimes they come into the house and it is always from the front they emerge.

We had a new driveway laid in the summer so alot of the ant nests were disturbed.  Once the driveway was finished I started putting lots of planters out the front and 2 or 3 of these were soon infested with ants, so not so good for my plants but obviously a bonanza for the Green Woodpecker. 

It does solve a mystery for me - I'd noticed how alot of my grass and soil looked churned up near to the porch so I'm wondering now if he has been there before and I never realised it , I assumed it was the hedgehogs. 

Hi Sparrow, OH was too busy holding my backside while I was hanging over the bannister to stop me falling so couldn't really get a photo of me LOL! 

 

Kathy - you need a scruffy impoverished patch of grass that can scarce be termed lawn - then  like us you can breed ants like crazy!  We can't sit in our garden in summer without being eaten alive.  Yaffle regularly visit in spring when ground is still moist - but they have to give up when our clay bakes to rock.

Kezmo - like you our pic came as we were preparing to leave, in our case for a break in February this year. Our yaffles are usually very furtive & jumpy, and also dig further down the garden, but need overtook caution for once, luckily.  They obviously know when we are going out!