Woodpecker's workshop

I'm at it again - absolutely nowt to do with sheep........ Sorry! but even shepherds have to have a break from sheep every now and again! Actually, the story behind the photos does have something to do with sheep, most of what I see can be linked with my job one way or the other and this is no exception. One of the farms I work on has sheep running on felled forestry areas. These have been felled for some time and the tree stumps are slowly rotting away. The only way across this ground is on foot as thanks to numerous tree stumps and all the drains it is impassable on a quad. Last back end I was on one of these lumps of ground setting the sheep off when I happened upon a woodpeckers workshop, one of the best I've ever seen. I made a mental note of the whereabouts and vowed to return with the camera. Gathering in early March in preperation for the scanning of these sheep I remembered to take my camera with me (really must get a little pocket camera!) It had been a frosty morning (-5) and a foggy one also. It was pretty cool to say the least, maybe I ought not to have had my hair cut early that morning - the lugs were definitely getting nipped with the cold!

I set off across this ground with camera slung around my neck, I was cursing slightly that the fog hadn't totally cleared and the conditions may not be perfect for the photo. I had warned the farmer who was also gathering with me that I may be delayed for a short while as I needed to take a photo - just about everyone I work for seems to accept that I have some strange ideas and am prone to get sidetracked on occasion (they are either very understanding or can't find anyone else to do the job!) Anyhow, sheep were running away in front without any bother and I reached the allocated spot from where I lost sight of sheep altogether, but felt all was well and I could snatch a photo in a second or two. The fog had lifted and weak sunshine was lighting up the area beautifully. I was chuffed. Until I looked through the viewfinder and all was foggy - uh, uh! A quick removal of a protecting lens should do the job, except then the camera lens fogged up, I pointed the camera at the weak sun and crossed my fingers, the condensation did not move off the lens. A quick wipe on my jacket ought to do the job, looking through the viewfinder I found it hadn't and a more prolonged wipe was needed. The lens now looked perfectly clear but still there was a fogging through the viewfinder. The damp and cold had obviously got into the sealed lens system - fiddley sticks!! Well, by this time a fair bit of time seemed to have elapsed and I decided to photograph through the 'fog' and see if anything could be done at a later date. My mobile phone started to ring, the farmer to tell me the sheep were all safely off the lump of ground and was I on my way back - Blimey! some time must have elapsed!! I grabbed the shots and fled, I've hit a quick fix button on the computer and these are the results (still fogged up but more density of colour). I probably wont be back on that bit of ground until June and didn't have the patience to wait that long, so foggy pictures it is, although many were beyond redemption and no quick fix was going to make them viewable.

So what is a woodpeckers workshop, looks like some rotten old bit of tree and a lot of fir cones - that's exactly what it is! The greater spotted woodpecker will stuff fir cones into some cracks or crevices to enable it to peck away and retrieve the seeds from the cone, it leaves the discarded cones lying where they drop.

I'm sure there were more cones stuck in the wood when I originally stumbled upon this sight months ago but I still thought it looked quite dramatic and tells a story.

Interestingly enough, just up the roadside from where I live the woodpeckers have made use of fence posts and there are many to be seen with fir cones sticking in them, nieces and nephews have often been taken up there to have a look and learn about the woodpeckers dining habits.