Green Woodpecker

[poliphilo]

The green woodpecker comes down to aerate the lawn with that great spike of a beak of his. He's very shy and takes wing at the slightest movement, shouting as he goes. "Yaffle, yaffle, yaffle". Yesterday I found a vantage point where he couldn't see me and watched him through the binoculars. He has a scarlet skullcap and a dusty green body fading to fawn, with lemon yellow around the rear end. He holds himself very erect, nose pointing to one o'clock when not otherwise engaged, and moves in great hops or pounces.  If you magnified him by ten he'd be terrifying. Ailz says he reminds her of a T Rex.

Comments

[w. lotus (from livejournal.com)]

Are you able to get a photo of him through the binoculars? I'd love to see him!

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I doubt it would work, but I might give it a go.

[porsupah.livejournal.com]

It can be done, though I imagine it takes a little practice to ensure the eyepiece is reasonably well lined up. Here's a professional photographer who covered the last Olympics using an iPhone and binoculars.

I've seen one around my usual rabbiteering loop for a while, but I've rarely caught them in any decent shot - they normally make a beeline from one tree to another, protesting loudly about the inconvenience as they go. Striking appearance, regardless.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Those photos are mightily impressive. I'm inspired to have a go.

[cmcmck.livejournal.com]

Handsome birds, greens.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

As spectacular as our native birds get.

[cmcmck.livejournal.com]

We've got a pair of jays who nest in the copse at the bottom of our garden and they're equally stunning.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I envy you.

[puddleshark.livejournal.com]

We have a family of green woodpeckers in the ponies' field at the moment - but as you say, they're very shy. There's a flash of streamlined green and a mad yaffling from the trees, and they're gone before I can get my camera out...

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

This woodpecker (we only see one at a time but there may be a family) shows up on our lawns and I can observe it stealthily from inside the house.