{"id":1410,"date":"2009-06-07T23:06:39","date_gmt":"2009-06-07T22:06:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.permuted.org.uk\/photography\/archives\/1410"},"modified":"2013-11-14T00:38:35","modified_gmt":"2013-11-14T00:38:35","slug":"greater-spotted-woodpecker-picture-special","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.permuted.org.uk\/photography\/greater-spotted-woodpecker-picture-special\/","title":{"rendered":"Greater Spotted Woodpecker (picture special)"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n

This was going to be a tale of woe about how last night I came face to face with a badger in the garden and yet again failed to record the moment with the camera (I was too close!). It will include some kestrel footage, and a hint of fox, but mainly it's about that most awkward of feathered subjects, the greater spotted woodpecker.<\/p>\n

The sequence that follows is a small sample of some shots I took this afternoon while taking a break in the fields just at the back of the campus where I work. I could hear them (the noise was distinct), but it took some scouting around before I finally saw what I was looking for.<\/p>\n

\"greaterMale greater spotted woodpecker<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

That was success in itself, but there was a second call, so I kept looking until I finally spotted this.<\/p>\n

\"greaterGreater spotted woodpecker chick<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

I waited for the inevitable…<\/p>\n

\"greaterChick and male parent<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

\"greaterDad flies off<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

\"greaterMum takes up feeding duties<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

\"greaterThe female again<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

\"greaterAnd then the male returns with yet more food<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

There are a few more shots in my Greater Spotted Woodpecker<\/a> album, which if I get time I'll add to over the next few days. <\/p>\n

Heading back from there a flash of red in a distant field caught my eye. I was aware that there were more foxes in the vicinity, but I hadn't seen them before. This shot is a heavy crop taken from several hundred yards away.
<\/span> Fox in a hurry!<\/span><\/p>\n

I'll close tonight with some recent footage and photos of the local kestrels. <\/p>\n

<\/object><\/span>
\"Nature<\/a><\/span>
Camera note: all shots taken with the EF 400mm f\/5.6L USM lens.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[980,4],"tags":[1128,1185,1152],"class_list":["post-1410","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-birds-2","category-foxes","tag-fox","tag-greater-spotted-woodpecker","tag-kestrel","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t