My obsession this last week or two has been Greater - spotted Woodpeckers, or to be more specific Woodpeckers in flight. I have been putting out peanuts on a tree stump in a clearing in Haldon Forest. To get some photographs I constructed a crude cover from tree litter and leaves and from this vantage point waited and watched the woodpeckers coming in to feed. It took several visits and a couple of hours each day to get to know the birds and to learn about their behaviour and habits. There are three - perhaps four - birds visiting the free peanuts regularly, an adult male and female with one, but possibly two juveniles. I have seen that all of them would first fly to a nearby dead tree before flying down to the peanuts on a lower stump. I would suggest that this is a strategy to check for safety and once the coast is clear, then they fly in. This was perfect for me but the positioning of my makeshift hide was totally wrong if I was to get the perfect flight shot. Drastic action was called for - a total repositioning and rebuild of the hide! I used stout branches from recent fellings which I gathered from the forest floor. Then I created a wigwam- like frame structure to support leaves and branches. Once finished It was a tight squeeze for me and difficult to get in and out of especially with my damaged knee but it concealed me perfectly. It wasn't long before the birds started to arrive but unfortunately, now the light was very poor with dreary, overcast conditions. But even so, I took the best in flight photographs that I have taken of this species. I am looking forward to some sunshine and the chance to get a fast shutter speed and a good depth of field.
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