Vertical lines of woodpecker holes

It is not unusual to see a vertical line of woodpecker holes on a tree. This is often the result of a pair of woodpeckers having created new nesting cavities in a favourite tree year after year. A favourite tree is one that has proved easy to excavate and which was successful for breeding. Sometimes such lines of holes are due to the birds having started a cavity and then abandoned it before moving on to another spot on the same tree trunk. It can also be the case that some of the holes in a line lead to the same, single cavity. That is, the cavity within the tree trunk has more than one entrance. But in this case, it is not clear whether this is by accident or by design. Woodpeckers also produce lines of holes when searching for tree dwelling prey. This example of a series of Black Woodpecker holes in a beech tree was taken by Szabolcs Kokay in the Zemplen Hills, Hungary.

Quiz woodpecker 17

Which European woodpecker species is this ?

Quiz woodpecker 16

Can you identify this European woodpecker ? Thanks to Bob Campbell-Barr for the photo.

Black Woodpecker: identifying a feeding site

Here is a photo of a feeding site of a woodpecker (taken this May in the Soomaa National Park, Estonia). Several things point to this being the work of a Black Woodpecker. Firstly, the size of the holes made (an adult's hand can easily fit inside), Secondly, the location (being at ground level, only Black, Green and Grey-headed are comfortable feeding with their feet on terra firma). Thirdly, the size of the wood chips (some 6cm long). And, though not really visible in this photo, the beak marks on the timber were very large, too large for any other European woodpecker species.

Photos: Lesser Spotted Woodpecker

Here are three fine photos of a displaying / courting pair of Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers.

By Will Forest
















Taken in Yorkshire, UK.

Quiz woodpecker 15

Another quiz woodpecker without the actual bird! Which woodpecker made these holes? What is the purpose of this work ? That is, just what is bird looking for ?

Middle Spotted Woodpecker: drumming

Middle Spotted Woodpecker does not regularly drum. Females probably do not drum at all. Any drumming that is done by this species is rather mild, limited to early spring and usually made in response to competition from another male. Both adults do however tap loudly at the nest-hole in spring. This tapping is clearly a communicative signal and not part of hole excavation and is not drumming. Middle Spotted Woodpeckers seems to rely more on the meow-ing “song” when announcing territory rather than drumming. But it is important to state that this species does drum. Some observers have stated this it does not. Personally, I have seen this woodpecker drumming on a handful of occasions, the most recent being on April 3rd, 2008 in the Bukk Hills, Hungary.