New visitor !

Greater Spotted Woodpecker - lovely to see

Easy to recognise - a black crown and nape, white forehead, cheeks and throat. The back, wings and tail are black, except for the large white shoulder patches and smaller white spots on the wings. The underparts are whitish-buff with red underneath the tail (undertail coverts). The bill is grey coloured, the legs are grey-green and the eye is red.

This is a female - the male has a red patch on the nape of the neck and the female does not.
Juveniles have a red crown, pink vent and "blotchy" white shoulder patches.


They have a very undulating flight - they completely fold their wings against the body between each series of several wing flaps.