Bird Watching in Deepest West Sussex From David Cole

It is a dangerous job being a parent Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) - just take a look at junior's beak - (that is him on the right of the picture with the bright red cap) - taking food from the male parent (with the red bar on the back of his head).

We have a very successful family living in a tree across the Green from our house, both parents were winter visitors to our bird feeding stations - being particular fans of the peanuts and insect based feeds. This year they have managed to rear a brood of five chicks - three males, and two females. All of them are now regular visitors although like all siblings there is a fair amount of squabbling.

They 'bounce' across the Green with an occasional loud 'Tchik' and shoulder their way into the throng of birds already feeding - one look at the long and threatening beak is enough to send the House Sparrows off in a flurry.

The nest hole is a neat round entrance which then drops to the actual nest some six inches lower, and the approach made by the parents is careful and considered - later feeding of the enthusiastic fledglings is a fairly noisy and boisterous event.

It is great to watch the youngster's first arrival at the feeding stations where they have to master the art of the peanut feeders - learning to remove whole peanuts which they then wedge into a crack in a branch the break up for feeding.