"Janet Galpin" wrote in message
...
I too live on th Fens and do get visited by Great Spotted Woodpeckers
from time to time. Last weekend one spent quite a long time tapping at a
wooden electricity pole as if it was a tree and then moved along and sat
on top of another pole simply calling and looking round for some time.
I get through several sacks of mixed bird seed and of sunflower seeds
each year. I haven't counted but I would guess at least six or seven of
each. Peanuts go down much more slowly than seeds here
We don't have enough trees near my house to sustain woodpeckers :0(
I have never counted how many 25 kilo sacks of mixed corn, wild bird seed,
sunflower seed, pigeon food I go through, nor how much fat I get from the
abbatoir (Gagens) I out food on the bird tables when I go out to feed the
hens first thing and again at 4 pm when I feed the hens again. When I do the
afternoon feed, there is usually still some seed left on the table but I
pile it up so they can fill their crops before roosting, and again when they
wake. I also make sure there are plenty of water containers about.