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Woodpeckers attacking

Emchap40
23/05/2023 20:07

Hi, 

For the past three years we’ve had blue tits coming to nest in our bird box. No attacks.  Last night I saw a woodpecker attacking the bottom of the box. When I went and looked there’s a round hole underneath the box and feathers all over the ground. There still seems to be a nest in the box as the hole underneath the box is covered with feathers and nesting bits if that makes sense. The parents keep coming and going so I’m not sure if the babies are still in there and I haven’t see the woodpecker come back. Shall I leave it a few days and investigate?

Emma

  • 0 23/05/2023 21:09
    Sadly there is little you can do at the moment except hope that there are survivors - depending on how developed they were they may 'emergency' fledge but they would have needed to be pretty close to fledging - In the mean time maybe research Woodcrete nest boxes to replace the one the woodpecker has attacked, Put it up in the Autumn. It's hard this year but I think everything is struggling to feed their young

    Cin J

  • 0 23/05/2023 22:03 in reply to Germain
    Thank you for your reply. I shall have a look at Woodcrete bird boxes. I’d hate for this to happen again. Made me very sad! I had no idea woodpeckers could do this
  • 0 23/05/2023 22:34 in reply to Emchap40
    Great spotted woodpeckers are known to raid nests of other birds. They also partake of (dead) wood-boring grubs of beetle species.

    Green woodpeckers are mainly reliant on ants for their food sources.
  • 0 31/05/2023 23:35
    There are flaws in both assessments. It think you asserted that the Isle of Man was the main incursion point, but didn't offer any explanation to support your assertion.

    (Hey, this is olde worlde usenet stuff).

    I could be wrong, You could be wrong. We both could be correct (neither case precludes the other). We both could be wrong.

    Except if either of us asserted that the NI GSW came from Scandanvia. Which neither of us have.

    N.B. I've no data to work with when it comes to GSW being present on the IoM. I think I've arrived at a place where I'm seeing gaps in BTO's birdtrack data. I could be reading it wrong, but that data goes back to 2008, not 2005.
  • 0 02/06/2023 03:22
    "Moving on, please direct me to where I asserted that the Isle of Man was the main incursion point……"

    I think you suggested the IoM was *an* incursion point on 27th May.

    "For that theory to be valid, GSW strongholds and early arrivals should have all been in Northern Ireland, particularly the northern parts of it. Not the case. Wales and possibly Isle of Man are far more likely sources of population overspill."

    I was wrong to suggest it as the main incursion point (as indicated by you).

    Hey. You got me on that one.