Birdwatching from the studio – #1

As I sit at my desk, I’m distracted by birds moving to and fro, traversing the studio windows that look out onto the garden. One window faces south and, if I lean to the left, in a gap between my computer monitor and the outside wall, I can just glimpse the bird table. Through the west-facing window, a peanut feeder hangs from a low branch of a struggling plum tree.

Great Spotted Woodpecker – back on Irish soil

In 2005, the Great Spotted Woodpecker began to recolonise the east coast of Ireland, having been absent from the country for several hundred years. The population slowly worked its way from Wicklow down the coast to Wexford. It was 16 years later before loud tree-drumming first resounded through my neighbourhood. To hear that distinctive, kango-hammer sound was thrilling, and, as primroses and Blackthorn blossom, it became a joy eagerly anticipated each spring. Actually spotting the elusive noise-maker took a little more patience and another 5 years.

Lured by peanuts

A craving for peanuts drew the woodpecker into our garden and early this year, I was rewarded with a clear sighting. Smaller than I expected, considering his name, his bright red skull-cap confirmed him a male. I watched him through a small pair of dodgy binoculars, admiring his handsome plumage as he feasted. In the weeks that followed and many fuzzy, unremarkable iPhone pics later, he came regularly to hang from the feeder in the plum tree. Occasionally, a female would visit.

A woodpecker family

Last week, a less vibrant, downy version landed on the crown of the plum tree. He sat, robustly round and plump, unusually fearless, scanning all around him. Teetering slightly on the branch, he surveyed the garden with an unworldly curiosity – like he was seeing it for the first time. Not in any rush, he leisurely began to preen his fluffy plumage. After settling for a few minutes to regain his composure, he then flew on his way to explore new ground. Newly fledged, the youngster is a tell-tale sign that the visiting pair are breeding nearby – perhaps in our neighbours’ adjoining woodland. Hopefully, future generations will continue to visit our garden. I suppose we will just have to provide a steady supply of peanuts.

Note: I don’t own a decent camera, and even when I did, it was never to hand when something interesting showed up. So, blurry iphone pics are all I have as evidence. I have illustrated a Great Spotted Woodpecker as compensation!