Green Woodpecker, watercolour

This dapper chap spends hours exploring the lawns here at the Old Barn, tirelessly pecking away for his favourite food - ants. He uses his powerful beak to dig down below the surface to get to the ant nests. He keeps a watchful, beady eye on the surroundings, ready to fly off at the slightest disturbance with that distinctive, slightly mocking laugh. No wonder he's known to many as a Yaffle!

Here I've shown the woodpecker under one of our cooking apple trees, where the early windfalls are already starting to pile up, and the recent damp weather has led to an explosion of beautiful toadstools.