Birdwatching from the studio – #1

As I sit at my desk, I’m distracted by birds moving to and fro, transversing the studio windows that look 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 about 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. Early this year, I was finally rewarded with a clear sighting. Smaller than I expected, considering his name, his bright red skull-cap confirmed that he was a him. I watched him through a small pair of vintage 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 woodpecker landed on the crown of the plum tree. He sat, round and plump, scanning all around him- unusually fearless. Teetering slightly on the branch, he surveyed the garden as a curious infant might. Not in any rush, he began to preen his fluffy feathers. Regaining his composure, he settled for a few minutes and then flew away. That newly fledged adolescent would indicate that the visiting pair are likely to be breeding close by, 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!