The day of the Green Woodpecker? Quite common but in around a years worth of visits to Upton Warren I hadn't seen a Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted yes, Green no. It simply came down to my choice of hide to spend most of the time in and the last few days I have heard the Green Woodpecker a number of times while walking along the path the the West hide. Yesterday while hearing the fellows I though what I want is to see the Green Woodpecker here.
Today on an early morning visit they obviously had listened to my thoughts (or maybe it was the fact the area in front of the hide had been worked on.. slightly more probable), but there they were two Green Woodpeckers posing as good as gold for two snap happy guys in the hide. So below is one of the beady eyed chappies digging for ants.
The ChiffChaff have been in good voice in a number of places around the reserve and recent comments from fellow birders you meet walking around the reserve is 'Have you seen the ChiffChaff, I have heard them today but haven't seen one?', and indeed that was the case today. However today we could honestly say 'yes we have seen them as well as heard them', as proved by the non too great photograph on the left as one decided to perch and sing away in one of the trees on the path.
The morning started extremely misty and on reaching the reserve I though it was going to be somewhat of a misadventure. Looking out the window at home it had been bright and sunny, perfect for some snaps I had thought. On driving the mile from the house the picture was a very different.
To be honest it took me by surprise, otherwise I would have stayed tucked up in bed, which as it transpires would have been a very bad choice indeed. Although misty initially with the islands shrouded from view, the mist in front of the hide burnt off enough for some lovely close views of both the two Green Woodpeckers and a solitary Snipe on the water margins. As the early morning progressed the day turned into a gloriously sunny affair.
A walk later along the paths to the East hide while allowing the ChiffChaff opportunity above also gave the chance for again a non too brilliant shot, but a snap never the less of a Green Finch sitting high on the trees. The Green Woodpecker also seemed to be following us back along the paths to pose on a tree stump over across the fields by the North Moors path.
I'm still wading through a pile of shots of the Snipe so one of those might appear later.
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