A gardening expert has shared remarkable footage showing the moment an unexpected "helper" turned up in her garden. The delighted homeowner shared the clip on TikTok [user West Coast Plants] after discovering a woodpecker had made itself at home in her outdoor space.
"I had a helper in the garden... this is a beautiful male pileated woodpecker," they wrote in a caption. The striking bird, distinguished by a red cap and red line extending from the bill to the throat, could be spotted in West Coast Plant's footage happily pecking at fallen logs. The brief clip ends with the woodpecker flying towards a neighbouring tree to continue pecking from a considerably higher vantage point.
According to the Audubon Society, woodpeckers are termed 'keystone species' because of their vital role in establishing habitat suitable for other woodland wildlife. Consequently, deserted woodpecker nest-holes transform into nests or roosts for small owls and ducks.
The Audubon Society adds: "Swifts, bluebirds, swallows, wrens, and other birds, as well as many mammals, make use of these holes. The snags can become multi-level condominiums for a whole host of wildlife. A venerable, dead tree, broken off at the top and perforated with multiple cavities, may actually be one of the most valuable trees in the forest."
The footage is particularly remarkable because people can go for decades without spotting these beautiful birds.
Responding to West Coast Plants' video, one TikTok user enthused: "They are magnificent creatures. I seen a woodpecker that looked like that but he was much bigger in east Oklahoma of all places. The only one I've EVER seen in 63 years."
A second person wrote: "Omg! This looks like the woodpeckers we had at my grandparents' when I was growing up in New Mexico!".
Whilst a third individual quipped: "Those birds are HUGE! And kinda creepy looking."
West Coast Plants added in reply: "They are spectacular, though sometime we surprise each other when they are on the vine above our deck, eating berries. I'll walk under the trellis and then a huge bird flies out. Not sure who's more startled."
According to the RHS, meanwhile, three species of woodpecker can be found across the UK.
The charity's website states: "The great spotted woodpecker is a common sight at garden bird feeders. The green woodpecker is shyer, most likely to visit larger gardens particularly those with expansive lawns. The lesser spotted woodpecker is in decline and rarely seen."
The RHS adds: "Woodpeckers are present throughout the year but are particularly active and visible in gardens during spring. Keeping bird feeders topped up with peanuts, sunflower seeds and fat balls and leaving dead wood which house wood-boring insects will encourage great spotted woodpeckers into your garden. Leaving areas of long grass for ants and insects will also create ideal habitat for the green woodpecker.
"Woodpeckers breed in holes they peck in dead heartwood. Four to six eggs are laid inside between April and June (1-3 clutches per year). They hatch after around two weeks and chicks spend just over three weeks in the nest before fledging."