Tufted Woodpecker

I have ben trying for about 5 years to get a good photograph of this little chap.
They are extremely fast, have incredible hearing and eyesight and are normally well inside the protection of the trees.
Just for a few seconds he decided to have a munch at the trunk.
You can see the little hole he was starting to make .
This guy is only about 6 inches long, beak to tail and so he's a fully grown male. Not what we normally think of as the size of a woodpecker because in general they are about 3 times that size.
Had to shoot at high speed because of the rapidity of his pecking head. He would be at home as one of Status Quo's headbangers I think.

douglas
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