Green Woodpecker - Picus viridis

Date: 11th July - 6PM

Location:  Newton Park Lake - Zones 1,2+5

Observation:  We decided to go for a quick walk out the lanes after dinner, first we seen 1 Bat (not sure what type) hunting and catching flies, before flying off into the trees. Onto the dog walk in the campsite there were 2 juvenile Green Woodpeckers and 1 female Blackcap, all of which we got fairly close to without disturbing them! At Seven Acre, there was a small group/family of Kestrels hunting together and diving down into the corn field, nothing was successful caught whilst we were there, before they all flew into the trees as a fly-over Sparrowhawk passed by with a catch (possibly Blue/Great Tit). In NSL Village there was a dead Sparrowhawk, with no obvious injury's, possibly hit and moved out of road by passer-by. Nothing more to note at lake apart from the 1 Little Owl hunting down opposite end to normal (due to loud sheep) and 2 VERY loud Grey Heron squawking away! On the return journey, was much of the same, with 4 Kestrels in the village sat high in trees possibly the same as earlier and just resting. A very nice walk with some nice pictures, so very successful! First time in a good while that not 1 Buzzard was heard or seen though!

Weather:  Some Cloud, Sunset, Warm

Other Species: 4 Kestrel, 4 Green Woodpecker, 1 Sparrowhawk (one also unfortunately found dead), 50+ Swallow, 10+ House Martin, 4 Mute Swan, 2 Grey Heron, 5+ Song Thrush, 1 Blackcap, 1 Little Owl, 2 Jay, Wren, Dunnock, Mallard, Coot, Moorhen, Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Herring Gull, Crow, Jackdaw