Woodpeckers at dawn
I’m not that keen on getting up early unless I have a purpose. I need to be driven by a need other than simply getting up early. I don’t need any encouragement to stay up late.
This is one of those early days. I got up hours before my alarm was due to go off with an unlikely spring in my step. I have a Woodpeckers’ nest to visit.
The light is still blue and the sun is well below the hill behind me. There’s a chill in the air and the back of my neck is cold. I’m standing on a farm track with an uninterrupted view of the nest of a pair of Great Spotted Woodpeckers.
One emerges and strikes a pose before flying off.

As the light improves, so do my changes of getting decent photographs. It’s 8:10am before the suns hits the tree and I get beautiful dappled sunshine and glorious colours. A curious face makes an appearance:

This is the female perching next to the nest:

Beautiful, isn’t she?

At the moment they are incubating a clutch of eggs. I’m hoping to be here when the young appear and that you will be here with me to see them.
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