Green Woodpeckers lap it up!

At a time of the year when some wildlife becomes less visible, one of our residents seems to be all over the place. The young Green Woodpeckers are now out of their nesting hole and conveniently coinciding with the abundant meadow ants, just as they too are starting to fly, usually in early July. With their long tongues the woodpeckers can penetrate deep into the ant holes and lap up the adults and larvae in large quantities. They are often seen on the edge of our concrete paving, a particularly favourite home for the ants, with its sandy base. It has been difficult to get a count of our woodpecker family, since they are quite shy, but a brood of up to five is quite normal and this warm dry year seems to have been good for them. A few years ago this bird was absent from this area but more semi natural habitat which we have created has provided the rough grassland for the ants, which attract our Green Woodpeckers. They are a colourful addition to our birds throughout the year.