Bird Watching: Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 by wallaby1

wallaby1 wrote:
I have had these Woodpeckers around for a couple of years, last year I heard them rattling on the Horse Chestnut tree but rarely saw one. This year there is one pecking nearly every morning on the blue tit nesting box, late morning it goes to the Horse Chestnut tree but is difficult to see there.

Today I heard it twice on the tit box, and later again when I was outside so I grabbed the camera and got some pics on zoom. It was hopping up the trunk by then, then it went to some branches for some feasting. I wonder if it's trying to use the box for nesting, or tapping to make grubs come out the bark.

I did see the resident tits which use the box from this time every year ganging up on it one morning, I hope it doesn't put them off from nesting there.

This is a male, the female is similar but doesn't have the red patch on the nape.