Hi everyone, I'm new here.
Yesterday was quite an exciting day, lots of species active in the back green brought into town by the recent snow and freezing weather, including redwing and starlings. I got a few photos. But what puzzled me a bit was the behaviour of our pair of great spotted woodpeckers - the female anyway has been around for quite a few months now.
In the afternoon, the starlings came back, this time without the redwings, and began feeding on the ground, and trying to steal food from the blackbirds. Then I noticed the male woodpecker coming down from the tall trees on several occasions, on the ground, and on the low bark of the trees, and taking quite an interest in the starlings. At this point, I thought he might just be looking for bugs. But then first the female, then the male started dancing round a cast-iron clothes-line pole, where no food would be lurking.
I believe starlings can try to take over woodpecker's nesting holes, so I can understand why our woodpeckers might be getting agitated. I managed to capture the display (sorry the quality isn't great). Is it possible the woodpeckers were trying to chase the starlings off with this display? (If so it didn't work.) Or there another explanation? They were mostly showing their plumage on the side of the pole closest to the starlings, i.e. away from the camera.
With the weather improved, the starlings (and redwings) weren't to be seen today.
Thank you.
Hi Linda,
Thanks for the welcome and the reply. I'm beginning to feel at home already!
My photos of the other birds wouldn't fit on the original post, so here they are...