One of my goals for 2022 was to photograph green woodpeckers &, if I got lucky, to photograph their stunning chicks in July. By February, I had identified an area around Loch Leven where I had a brief glimpse of two adult green woodpeckers but I was unable to get close enough for a photograph. Thankfully that all changed in March when I managed to anticipate their movements a bit better and get myself into a position where I could photograph them without disturbance.
As the breeding season began, I just had to keep my fingers crossed that this pair would be successful. I purposely did not try to seek out their nest as I knew where it was within 100+ yards – with this information I was sure that I would be able to see young chicks emerge, if/when they fledged.
On the 5th July at 5am, I tucked myself in at the edge of a woodland within 200-300yards of their nest area – I only had to wait for about 20 minutes before I heard & then saw the green woodpeckers. There was one adult and three chicks about 150 yards away.
Over the following two hours, the three chicks started chasing each other & eventually made their way over to the spot where I was hiding out at. You will see in the close up pictures below that they have a very distinctive colouring which they only have for the next couple of months before they take on their adult plumage. It’s incredible how they blend in with colours in the woods around them – isn’t nature amazing!
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