Gaddings, Longfield and Lee Dams

On the way to Gaddings this afternoon I came across something I'd heard about and I've even seen a video of it on Springwatch last year, but I'd never witnessed it myself - a Great Spotted Woodpecker drumming on a metal pylon! I first heard it drumming on a tree and located it eventually with the bins. It flew to another tree, obviously unhappy with the sound it was getting from the previous branch, and started drumming again. Although the sound was very different from this branch, it still wasn't happy and flew off again. I lost it in flight but heard it soon enough - and as the sound was definitely metallic I thought, it can't be can it? So I looked at the metal pylon and found it right at the top, drumming away. Weird, but was it effective? I don't know but I heard no more drumming thereafter...

At Gaddings 3 Curlews were on the southern shore and a pair of Goldeneye were on the water. Down at Longfield Dam there were 5 Lapwings and numerous Canada Geese with a flock of 48 Fieldfare overhead.

Nothing at Lee Dam apart from a few Mallards but there were 6 Moorhens in the field next to the dam.

Just outside Mankinholes a Little Owl was calling from its usual place on a dry stone wall.