Great Spotted Woodpecker lives in a variety of habitats from woodlands to gardens. From the pine and spruce forests of Northern Europe to the woodlands of the Mediterranean, Great Spotted Woodpecker is one of the most common Woodpeckers in Eurasia. All that He needs to make a home are mature trees to hack out his nest hole and to use for anvils.
Great Spotted Woodpecker can extract all the seeds from one pinecone within four minutes, using up to 800 blows with his beak. He places unwieldy pinecones in a tree cleft, and hammers the cone open with his bill. At this anvil tree, Great Spotted Woodpecker works the cone until all the seeds are gone. A tree selected by Him to be his anvil will be used for years.
Great Spotted Woodpecker is noted for his loud drumming. In early spring, the forests are filled with the sound of his drumming on trees. He is calling for a mate. The longer and more intense the drum, the more interested a female Great Spotted Woodpecker will be. A particular tree branch is chosen for a drumming post. Perched there, He rains blows on the branch, making the drumming audible great distances.
Whatever Great Spotted Woodpecker does, He does in a focused way. Focused on eating pinecones, Great Spotted Woodpecker chooses not only the trees for the cones but also other trees for storage and for anvils. Watch him eat and learn how to be focused as well.
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Great Spotted Woodpecker photo copyrighted by Alain Fosse'
Va. Carper
November 10, 2002