Spotted Woodpecker

[Sanjo]

Great excitement just now. Sitting eating breakfast and the OH glanced out of the window and there was a spotted woodpecker hanging onto his home made seedfeeder. We rarely see these although get the occasional green one.
My husband at the moment is making several seed cakes every day and then changing the half shell coconuts twice a day as they empty.
Keeping him busy at any rate!

[VirginVegGrower]

They've been in our trees for two or three weeks now. I love to hear the rap a tap tap on noise that they make. They are pretty birds.

[rpt]

We get a greater spotted woodpecker on our peanut feeder regularly. Also get a jay occasionally that picks peanuts off the ground. Plenty of others too.

So to slightly digress... does having bird feeders in the garden stop the birds eating our veg or attracts them into the garden and makes things worse?

[Peas'n'Kews]

We get a green woodpecker eating ants in our garden quite regularly - the last time I saw it it stayed for more than 30 minutes and I evenutally had to go out and leave it to it!

Now if only I was any kind of photographer I'd have a photo for you. Useless, sorry!

[Sanjo]

We get a greater spotted woodpecker on our peanut feeder regularly. Also get a jay occasionally that picks peanuts off the ground. Plenty of others too.

So to slightly digress... does having bird feeders in the garden stop the birds eating our veg or attracts them into the garden and makes things worse?

RPT the seedholders are mainly in the flower part of the garden although I do put my overflow veg in places.
I think it probably does encourage them into your garden and then they see the fresh soft growth, especially this time of year with the young ones about. My lettuces, beet tops suffer so I do have to net stuff.
On the other hand we get a lot of pleasure from those visiting us especially with the occasional "special" ones we get that are so rare to us.