Butterflies and Woodpeckers

[Humakt]

Here's a couple of things you may not see too often.
First is a Marbled White Butterfly. If you live here in the south east then you probably do see quite a lot of them, but the further away you get the rarer they are. Supposedly.

https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2916/14598164736_f3581b2f43_c.jpg

And secondly is this - a juvenile Green Woodpecker. I was just taking a rest and I saw this odd patterned thing swoop across the field and then perch atop a tree. Everything about its flight pattern said Woodpecker, but the pattern (it came head on, so all I saw was the speckled breast) was something else. Was it some kind of thrush, I thought? But no, the size, shape of the body, and the beak cancelled that out. So I got my camera out and zoomed in for a closer look. Still didn't recognise it. I kept thinking 'woodpecker' but it just didn't look like any woodpecker I'd seen. So I checked my reference books when I got home and lo and behold - a juvenile green woodpecker...

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3886/14598164726_e3392a6af5_c.jpg

[Tony1948]

NiceT^

[andy t]

Nice pictures. It's a good job you checked up on the second one i'd have said it was a mistle thrush.

[-Tim-]

Nice clear pictures them Humakt, what camera are using?

Cheers
Tim

[Whistle]

Nice pictures. It's a good job you checked up on the second one i'd have said it was a mistle thrush.

Me too , andy t me too ... the Green Woodies that feed on the ant nests at work

still look like green woodies , albeit somewhat mottled and not such a bright green ,

mum brings them round and shows them where to peck & poke quite spectacular !!!

Cheers Whistle

[jus_young]

A glance at that woodpecker caught me out as well.

[Humakt]

Nice clear pictures them Humakt, what camera are using?

Cheers
Tim

Just a standard Kodak bridging camera. I don't have it with me so I can't tell you what model, but there's nothing special about it.

As for the bird. yes, I know what you all mean. It caught me out when I saw it. It was unmistakably a woodpecker in size, shape and flight pattern, but the plumage just didn't seem right - it said thrush to me at first. It had me scratching my head. But if you look at pictures of juvenile green woodpeckers (do a Google image search) you'll see that it clearly is.

[andy t]

the main thing to see would be the feet woodpeckers have two toes forward and two back thrushes don't.

[Humakt]

the main thing to see would be the feet woodpeckers have two toes forward and two back thrushes don't.

Yup. And if you look closer you'll see that's what this chap has!

[Whistle]

As for the bird. yes, I know what you all mean. It caught me out when I saw it. It was unmistakably a woodpecker in size, shape and flight pattern, but the plumage just didn't seem right - it said thrush to me at first. It had me scratching my head. But if you look at pictures of juvenile green woodpeckers (do a Google image search) you'll see that it clearly is.

Sorry H ... I have to disagree ...

I have checked your google images of juvenile green woodpeckers and found that

the speckles are smaller , even and symetrically distributed over the breast ...

unlike your photo where the speckles

are generally larger but of random size and distribution ...

there is a photo on google where the bird is holding

its head at the same inclination as your photo yet clearly shows a discernable

patch of dull red over the eybrow

unlike your photo where no red is showing either above the eybrow or over the cheek patch ...

also discernable in the google photo ...

As for the toes ... no ... I'm afraid I can't clearly see that your photo shows two forward

and two backward facing toes ...

just that the bird has an awkward grip on a small diameter branch ...

You admitted that your initial feelings were thrush ...

and generally speaking initial feelings tend to be correct ...

What I think is that you have an excellent photograph of a Mistle Thrush

( one I would have been proud to have taken )

I envy a lot of your birdy pics ... Those Harrier shots in an earlier post were to die for ...

especially the lucky two in one frame shot !!!

Brilliant photos ... Keep'em coming !!!

Cheers Whistle

[Humakt]

Thanks for the kind words.
Well, I'm no bird expert and happy to entertain doubt and stick my hands up and say I'm wrong if consensus is against me.