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.