Newcomer woodpecker

 Ever since the sightings of at least five species of woodpeckers in the taman and the nestings of a couple of them, it is hoped that the taman would be able to live up to its unique reputation of being a woodpecker haunt.  And it looks like indeed it could, with the increasing sightings of a pair of Laced Woodpeckers here.

I finally managed to encounter the female after my memorable encounter of the male a couple of weeks ago.  As far as I know this is one woodpecker that loves to forage low at tree stump to high on the tree, and true to form this female suddenly did emerge from low on the ground to higher level, and back and forth, setting an initial giddy chase of zooming low and high!

And all worth it for the gorgeous bird with its olive-green upperparts and rich black crown to nape.

Unlike the other woodpecker species, this one also comes across with a preference for lurking in the darker lower areas.

But this time it kept to the upper canopy I guessed to avoid enthusiastic photographers hovering below.

Meanwhile news arrived that the male was spotted at the other end of the taman, and indeed it was but again for aforementioned reason, it kept to the upper canopy too.

The pair probably reunited when the female eventually arrived at the same area, and both cleverly managed to stay out of sight by now.