Great Spotted Woodpecker

The better lighting conditions of the summer have allowed us to take some amazing pictures of the Great Spotted Woodpeckers which frequent our garden from nearby Greenham Common and West Wood, south east of Newbury.

As well as the male pictured (right) there are two juveniles which fight if they arrive at the same time!

The lower of the three pictures is the juvenile which is nearly the size of the adult, but is distinguishable by its red cap and more freckly back parts.

The adult Great Spotted Woodpecker will also defend its territory from the juveniles, even though we suspect that they are its own young. Presumably it thinks they should fend for themselves now and move to a different territory and find their own food!

Top two pictures - taken with Canon EOS500D SLR, ISO400, Canon EF 100-400mm Zoom lens at F6.3 and F7.1, 1/500 second exposure.

Bottom picture - taken with Canon EOS500D SLR, ISO800, Canon EF 100-400 lens at F6.3 1/320 second exposure.