Curtis' Fields, Wyke Regis
Thursday August 23rd 2012
This sequence was filmed at Curtis' Fields, Wyke Regis, near Weymouth, an area that is currently under threat from housing development.
I features a young green woodpecker on a dead elm, a scene that will be repeated all over the country this month as this year's crop of young woodpeckers leave their nest holes and explore the trees in their home area.
Look closely at this next sequence land you will see the woodpecker use it long tongue to explore the tree.
It's only out for a second and it's really thin so you'll need to look very close indeed.
Best select the highest resolution (it's that cogwheel-like icon at the bottom right) and expand to full screen.
This last bit was a real stroke of luck.
The bird was looking a bit fidgety so I switched the camera to high speed - 120 frames per second.
This is four times faster than normal, so when it is played back at the standard 30 frames per second the action is slowed down four times.
I was hoping to catch the bird in flight, and for once it worked!
Not only did it fly off right on cue but it flew towards me. Sweet!