In a repeat performance of two years ago, I was getting ready to go birding yesterday when I spotted this very young Green Woodpecker from my kitchen window. I then observed some interesting interaction as a Ring-necked Parakeet flew in and gradually edged itself closer, as if it wanted to check out its weird-looking neighbour, until the wary woodpecker decided it had come too close for comfort and frightened it away. The rest of the morning was spent guiding at my old patch near Mechelen, starting with a female Green Woodpecker perched out in the open and finishing with a singing Reed Bunting. We also got to see some baby Long-tailed Tits, with a total birdlist of 51 species. Most impressive, however, was the large amount of Meadow Brown butterflies all over the place, although this Large Skipper was easier to photograph.
