A good day for Woodpeckers!
Woodpeckers galore today! We climbed up the twisting road to the little picturesque village of Tudes, still in the Picos mountains. We were no sooner out of the car than we heard the soft 'kick' call of a Middle Spotted Woodpecker. Our attempts to see the bird were immediately thwarted however as low clouds promptly came in so we couldn't see more than a few metres in front of us. We could still hear the bird though, how frustrating! Luckily, as quickly as it dropped in the cloud lifted, and we walked up the hillside towards the direction of the calls coming from an area of open woodland. Below us a herd of cows wearing cowbells were being driven through the woods by several farmers and dogs but for once the disturbance was welcome as it flushed not one but a pair of Middle-spotted Woodpeckers straight towards us. The birds landed close by and gave great views as they moved rapidly through the trees - a gorgeous display of red, black and white. No sooner had the Middle-spots moved through than a Great Spotted Woodpecker flew in and showed off in a poplar tree.We took the path through the village stopping to watch a pair of Nuthatches feeding on the wooden facades of the buildings. On the far side of the village Ruth saw a Green Woodpecker flying across the meadow. Unfortunately it disappeared from view before Alan could get onto it. Frustrating as this was also a new bird for the year. Happily it wasn't long before we heard the familiar 'yaffle' of the Green Woodpecker across the meadow, so it could officially join the bird list. While still searching for a glimpse of the Green Woody, a Wryneck began to call further along the track. Frantic scanning of the nearby trees revealed the bird, sat out singing away, so we moved closer and enjoyed great scope views of this cryptically camouflaged small Woodpecker.We continued along the track noting another Middle Spotted Woodpecker, two more Great Spotted Woodpeckers, more views of what was almost certainly the same Wryneck, so this is obviously THE woodpecker place in the Picos. Other birds along the track here incluced a singing Wood Lark, Cirl Buntings, Jays and Griffon Vultures. What a productive little village!Not long after we left Tudes, torrential rain set in accompanied by low cloud reducing visibility and making birding nigh on impossible. So we retreated to a local restaurant called El Urogallo (The Capercaillie) for a very late lunch. Sadly we didn't see any Capercaillies from the window but the food was exceptionally good! (www.casonadecosgaya.com) Bird species total: 1912Posted 9th April, Potes, Spain