A Great spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopos major)

I was making a second strong coffee using our machine this morning when I saw this Great spotted woodpecker perched on the suet feeder. I eased myself away, as they often spot my movement even when in the house, and fetched my camera.

I took a couple of shots of it through the double glazed patio doors, although the results can often be rather poor especially when the light was as poor as this morning.

I then just watched it and changed my camera settings in the hope of catching it in flight. I gently slid the door open and poked my camera out through the gap having focused on a point further down the garden. It eventually flew down the garden but only as far as the other feeder, which suggests to me that it hadn't spotted me. Luckily I did catch it in flight as it adjusted itself and prepared to land near the sunflower feeder hanging from the rhus tree.

Later I went to refill the feeders and found that the suet feeder wouldn't hang properly on its spring, which is designed to allow birds to feed but will stop squirrels from getting access to the food. I looked carefully and spotted that the internal spring mechanism had fractured. Then I remembered seeing, and hearing, the woodpecker  'attacking' the side of the feeder with its rat-a-tat drilling head action. It obviously couldn't get its normal access so thought it would drill a hole through the plastic. I fear the feeder can't be repaired which is going to be expensive. But at least I'd seen a close-up view of that traditional and unique habit of a woodpecker.