Great spotted woodpecker

Scientific name: Dendrocopos major

Irish name: Mórchnagaire breac

Size: 23-25cm

Diet: Mainly carnivore; will also take peanuts from bird feeders

Tips on how to find them: Search in old woodland with dead trees; listen out for the woodpecker’s famous ‘drumming’ as well as a ‘Kik’ call; look along branches for tiny ‘pits’ made by a foraging woodpecker; check snags on the trees as the birds like to cling to these; the woodlands in and around Glendalough are among the best places to see woodpeckers in Ireland.

I will upload a photo if I manage to see and photograph a real great spotted woodpecker.