‘As engaging an expression of a true naturalist’s passion as Ireland has produced … So immediate and concerned is [the author’s] account that one comes to live it with him, if spared the scourge of midges that penetrate his dark and humid hide.’
—THE IRISH TIMES

The Great Spotted Woodpecker was first bred in Ireland in 2009. Since then the author has followed the daily lives of this species, a family of whom had taken up residence in a wind-torn Spanish chestnut tree near his home in the depths of County Wicklow.
This unique and personal account of a family of the Great Spotted Woodpecker raising their young brings the reader deep into the world of this fascinating species: a world of hope, love, death, new life and ultimately success. It explores the richness and diversity of the natural wonders found in County Wicklow against a backdrop of a more general overview of the species in Ireland.

It includes a foreword by filmmaker John Boorman, and features illustrations by Killian Mullarney and Flemming Christoersen with stunning colour photographs by Dick Coombes. It is a book is to be treasured by everyone – not just ornithologists, but those with an interest in the natural world around them.

Declan Murphy
Declan Murphy has ‘birded’ across Ireland, Australia, North America, Asia and Africa. He has worked with BirdWatch Ireland, the country’s largest conservation charity, and has been published extensively in The Irish Wildlife Trust, The Native Woodland Trust, BirdWatch Ireland and The Sherkin Comment.