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Welcome to the St Helens Birds and Wildlife blog. We welcome your reports from across the borough regarding all forms of wildlife. Please click on the "Report a sighting" tab if you would like to contribute to this blog.

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Scarce or vulnerable species include but are not restricted to any species of wader, ducks other than mallard, all owls, any birds of prey, grey or yellow wagtails, grey heron, all grebes, Cetti’s warbler, water rail, willow tit, corn bunting etc. If in doubt, please ask.

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Green Woodpecker

Having been for a short walk this afternoon in Billinge Plants and watching a Nuthatch at its nesthole but frustratingly not being able to get in position for a photograph, I went back this evening (7.40pm) to see if there was any more activity, but this time without my camera. After being there for a couple of minutes and deciding it was too late in the day, a larger bird flew in and landed on the same tree trunk just yards above my head. Because it was starting to get dusk it was slightly silhouetted . I thought it was a woodpecker but it didn't look like a great-spotted. And it couldn't be a green woodpecker because ive never seen one .. and what are the odds of seeing one just yards above my head? Then it started yaffling! It stayed for about 30 seconds flew to another tree about 20 yards away , yaffled some more.... and then flew directly in the direction of the border between Abbots farm- Bispham wood. After tapping on the tree trunk with a stone for a further 30 seconds the Nuthatch didn't show itself so I went home!
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5 comments :

  1. Email13 April 2016 at 21:46

    Nice one Andrew. The green woodpecker has been heard quite a bit around Billinge Hill recently but has proved very elusive. I think your the first person to see it for a while.

    Damian P

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  2. Andrew13 April 2016 at 22:04

    Hi Damien , this one was quite a distance from the tweets of previous people hearing one. It must be another individual unless they have quite a large range? It was about 100 yards in from the new woodland trust gates at the lower end of the wood, not the ones near to the former landfill end as you climb up to the lump!

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  3. Phil Barnett14 April 2016 at 16:36

    I had my first on my Roby Mill patch a couple of weeks ago (about 3 miles from Billinge Hill). Green woodpeckers colonising locally then? This would be in line with the trend that the BTO reports i.e 'rapid increase' in England http://blx1.bto.org/birdtrends/species.jsp?&s=grewo

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  4. Unknown15 April 2016 at 23:14

    They are very rare for the St helens area. I have seen many in Wakes. I have heard one once around the coach road area a couple of years ago.They are commonly heard and seen around Moore Nature Reserve. It is an excellent recording for the region, lets hope they can breed. It is worth increasing the awareness and sighting of this breed. A great bird, once seen never forgotten. Good Luck

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