More pics

Well imagine my surprise when I went to check on my hazel nuts. If you click and look carefully you will see what has happened. The squirrel or plural has managed to eat almost all of the nuts off the small tree. It is unbelievable especially as they are not ready yet. You can understand why they are called vermin, I don't think they do one little bit of good at all. They were introduced into this country, have got rid of nearly all of our native red squirrels and now upset me. This is the first time this has happened this early. In other years I have had time to pick some and then let the squirrels have the rest. Oh well we must think of something different next year.

Now to something completely different. Firstly I must apologise for the quality of the photos. This photo and the next photo is of a juvenile, rather scruffy and dirty Greater Spotted Woodpecker. It is the first time in ages that I had some chance of taking a photo of one, but I managed to take two different Woodpeckers. I took about 12 different photos from my kitchen diner. Look at the picture of my kitchen diner and you will see I have venetian blinds there. Well I managed to get the camera through the slats and up to the window which is double glazed

These two are of an adult Greater Spotted Woodpecker. although the photos are not great, a majority of the general public in the U. K. will never have seen a live woodpecker. They are similar in size to a blackbird. Seem to have difficulty in walking on the ground as they seem to prefer to climb on tree trunks. Watching them drink is comical, they seem to hang low on the edge of the bird bath. Still it is nice to have them around.

When I first moved here there were no birds at all and I decided to have a peanut feeder hang, it was there for about 3 weeks then one day I noticed a great tit fly by, turn round and take a good look. It must have informed others because from that day, birds have gradually built up so that now I have them here almost all day. I do feed them all the year round. I give them sunflower hearts, peanuts and a ground seed feed, they all seem to enjoy them especially the goldfinches, they love sunflower hearts. More tomorrow.