No matter how long you observe nature, the natural world always has one extra trick up its sleeve to surprise you and leave you flabbergasted. Early this morning, as I was getting ready to go and look for butterflies in Wallonia, still half asleep and without my glasses, I noticed something clambering around the dead tree opposite my balcony. It moved a bit like a squirrel, which would be crazy, but Jays often move around like that so that was my first guess. As the bird flew, though, I got the impression of a bronzy colouration so I just dismissed it as a juvenile Blackbird, which was the most likely possibility. A few minutes later, however, the bird returned to the same tree and this time I was ready!
A juvenile Green Woodpecker was staring right back at me! I've now been in this apartment almost two years and have just once heard a Green Woodpecker calling so I presumed it was passing through. As this one is so young, and thus unlikely to have dispersed very far, it now seems they have been breeding right under my nose.
