The woodpecker gets its grub

Yesterday, I spent a long time watching the many bird species in the garden all looking for and gathering food where they could in the rain that's been falling for more than thirty-six hours. In the end I blipped a more distant visitor, a jay, at the end of the garden. But I'd been taking pictures close up of birds in and around the tree just outside my study window at the back of the house.

One visitor had been a Great Spotted Woodpecker, which have been rather less common here this year. First of all I heard the noise of hard tapping against wood and then slowly I tuned in to its direction and saw the woodpecker deep within the branches of the tree near the base of a branch. It was mostly obscured by leaves but by changing to another window I found a tiny gap through which I could observe it and eventually take a few pictures when its movements brought it into view. Most of the time I had to photograph it through double-glazed panes. The only view through a small top-opening window was usually blocked by leaves. I must have watched it working hard at digging into the branch which was at least two or three inches in diameter. Eventually after maybe an hour it was disturbed and flew away. 

Today I again resumed looking out of the window at a similarly wet scene with more birds, including a rare blackcap, which I was glad to see had returned. Then I heard the tapping of the woodpecker again. I grabbed my camera and now I knew where to look. It was in exactly the same position and hard at work digging into the branch. At times I could see flecks of wood flying and falling as debris. A small bit is left on this picture. I wasn't sure what it was looking for. I went away after taking many pictures hoping for a good view through the leaves, but few opportunities occurred.

When I came back probably thirty minutes later I tried again. Suddenly the woodpecker's movements changed and in its beak I could see it had started to grab what looked like a white-ish gum. It moved its head back sharply to try and drag or pull the object away from the hole. I assumed it was a form of gum in the fluids of the tree. I took a few more pictures as it manoeuvred about, and then it hopped away to another nearby branch. Soon it went to another branch and then flew away.

A few hours later I processed my pictures and suddenly in this frame I saw there was this grub in its beak. All that work for this one insect. I've no idea what it is, but have checked online and found some information which I've added below in case you are interested.


From several online sources:
The diet of woodpeckers consists mainly of insects and their grubs taken from living and dead trees, and other arthropods, along with fruit, nuts and sap from live trees. Ecologically, they help to keep trees healthy by keeping them from suffering mass infestations. The family is noted for its ability to acquire wood-boring grubs using their bills for hammering, but overall the family is characterized by its dietary flexibility, with many species being both highly omnivorous and opportunistic. The insect prey most commonly taken are those found inside tree trunks, whether they are alive or rotten, and in crevices in the bark. These include beetles and their grubs, ants, termites, spiders, and caterpillars. These may be obtained either by gleaning or, more famously, by excavating wood. Having hammered a hole into the wood, the prey is excavated by a long barbed tongue.

The ability to excavate allows woodpeckers to obtain tree sap, an important source of food for some species. Most famously, the sapsuckers (genus Sphyrapicus) feed in this fashion, but the technique is not restricted to these and others, such as the Acorn Woodpecker and White-headed Woodpecker, also feed in this way. It was once thought that the technique was restricted to the New World, but Old World species, such as the Arabian Woodpecker and Great Spotted Woodpecker, also feed in this way. (Wikipedia)

The woodpecker fishes for a grub with his mandibles which correspond to the two movable jaws. They are knife-edged, and the lower fits exactly inside the upper, so that they give a very firm grip. In addition, the upper one is movable. All birds can move the upper mandible, because it is hinged to the skull. (Watch a parrot some day, if you do not believe it.) A medium-sized woodpecker can elevate his upper mandible at least a quarter of an inch without opening his mouth at all. This enables him to draw his prey through a smaller hole than would be needed if he must open his jaws along their whole length. Between the mandibles is the sharp-pointed tongue, which can be thrust entirely through a grub, holding him impaled. Unlike the Indian’s spear-point, the woodpecker’s tongue is barbed heavily on both sides, and it is extensile. As a tool it resembles the Solomon Islander’s spear. A medium-sized woodpecker can dart his tongue out two inches or more beyond the tip of his bill. A New Bedford boy might tell us, and very correctly, that the woodpecker harpoons his grub, just as a whaleman harpoons a whale. If the grub tries to back off into his burrow, out darts the long, barbed tongue and spears him. Then it drags him along the crooked tunnel and into the narrow shaft picked by the woodpecker, where the strong jaws seize and hold it firmly.