Juvenile woodpecker eating in the rain

I came downstairs to make a cup of tea early this afternoon and caught the shape of the woodpecker through the doorway into the dining room and the patio doors. I stopped in my tracks and reversed to get my camera which I knew was in the room I'd just left. I've done this before and the woody disappears at the first sign of my movement.

On re-entering the kitchen I was delighted to see it was still there. I watched it start feeding and resist attacking the bluetits which usually hold sway on this suet feeder. The woodpecker hopped off onto thew nearby trellis and seemed to eye me up, but =still didn't fly away. Then it hopped back to the lure of the suet pellets and I took this picture.

As you might notice it was still raining and this young bird looks rather bedraggled. Yesterday Helena and I had heard it calling from the top of the tree at the end of our garden, and I watched it gripping the trunk of the tree and I was sorry I hadn't got a camera, even though it was quite far away.

I've been hearing its call at odd times recently and am delighted that a woodpecker is visiting the feeders once again. A couple of years ago I watched an adult parent showing its juvenile how to peck for food at the feeders, and then stuffing the pellets and sunflower seeds down its throat.