Black Woodpecker in flight

A Black Woodpecker Dryocopus martius in flight. Buda Hills, Hungary. 

Talk on woodpeckers in Austria

I will be giving a talk at the PANNONIAN BIRDEXPERIENCE in Eastern Austria this April. 

On two days as follows. See you there!

Friday 11.4.2014. 14:30 - 15:30

Saturday 12.4.2014. 12.30 - 13.30
Lecture: Woodpeckers of Pannonia
Location: Nat Park Ökopädagogikzentrum, 

Seminarraum, Illmitz, Burgenland, Austria.

Middle Spotted Woodpecker

Here is a very nice shot of a Middle Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos medius. Taken at Cremenes, northern Spain by Carlos Gonzalez Bocos. Males and females are similar and it is difficult to sex this bird on this view.

Woodpeckers of the World cover

Here is the final cover for my forthcoming book Woodpeckers of the World. I hope you like it? Can you name the species ? Only one is from Europe...

Woodpecker head topography

Here is a sketch showing the important parts of a typical woodpecker's head and head plumage. When identifying and describing woodpeckers it is of course important to know and use the correct terms.

Syrian Woodpecker - an ID pointer

Syrian Woodpecker can easily be confused with Great Spotted Woodpecker. There are several subtle features in plumage which separate these two related species, with face pattern and vent colour perhaps the most obvious. However, the following feature is also often useful, especially if the face of a bird is obscured. The outer tail feathers of Syrian are mostly black with a few white spots, and those of Great Spotted Woodpecker are mostly white with a few black spots. See the tail of this Syrian Woodpecker photographed in Budapest, Hungary (Gerard Gorman).  

SEASON'S GREETINGS

ALL THE BEST FOR THE FESTIVE SEASON 

TO ALL FRIENDS OF WOODPECKERS 

(and everyone else, too, I suppose)

Eurasian Green Woodpecker Picus viridis, Hungary, by Gerard Gorman