(Apologies for the double post… problems with the blogging software it seems. I can only see the posts when I'm logged in.)
Today was a good day for new faces. I'll come to the main topic in a moment, but the first surprise was down at the pond this morning. The flock of greylags were there as usual, but settled among them was one goose who stood out from the rest. It's a bar-headed goose. It seemed to be the only one there, and it's certainly not a species I've seen on the pond previously. 
A couple of days ago I posted about a greater spotted woodpecker. I've been keeping my eyes peeled to see if I could find which of the innumerable tree holes was its home. I obviously haven't been doing a good job. It turns out it's in a tree in the corner of the car park at work. :faint: The female is doing the feeding.
You can see how they get their name from this shot.
The rest of the photos are various points in the day… this could become an on-going saga; at least until the bird has flown.
There was one other unexpected spot today… a common lizard crossing the pavement outside the local farm shop. No photo of that I'm afraid, but I'll close with an early evening picture of the most familiar face on the blog: Shutterbug, in warm sunshine.
Camera note: all shots taken with the Canon 7D and EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L USM IS lens.
derWandersmann
24 May 2012Really nice shots of the woodpeckers, Words, and that bar-headed goose is a real surprise.
And Shutterbug looks happy, in that warm sun. How's he walking?
SittingFox
24 May 2012Oh wow, that's an excellent find. I expect there will be many more woodpecker photos on your blog shortly 😉
Odd to see the bar-headed goose. I wonder which collection it escaped from.
Words
24 May 2012dW, thanks. The woodpeckers are a real treat. The goose is probably an escapee, though I have no idea where from. We get all sorts of strange birds passing through. Shutterbug's leg is fine now. He probably just sprained it.
Words
24 May 2012Adele, having searched through the woods to try to locate the woodpeckers it was more than obvious I'd find it in the car park! The goose was a surprise too, but we do get some oddities turning up every now and then.
derWandersmann
25 May 2012There's some talk of the bar-heads beginning to colonise Britain.
hallvors
25 May 2012Woodpeckers are amazing, and your pictures are great – thanks for sharing!
Words
28 May 2012Hallvord, thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed the photos.
Words
28 May 2012dW, that wouldn't surprise me at all. They are certainly very pretty geese.