Feeling peckish? Woodpecker mum feeds hungry chicks in Shropshire treetop nest

Incredible photographs show a little woodpecker chick being intimately fed by its mother as it pokes its head from a treetop nest in the Shropshire countryside.

Wildlife photographer Andrew Fusek-Peters captured the rare moment the majestic bird tended to its youngster by fetching it grubs and insects near Walcot Hall in Lydbury North.

Andrew identified the nest while on a dog walk before spending hours over the space of a week waiting beneath the tree on a campsite with a long lens.

Andrew said: "I often take the dog for a walk down by this campsite near our home and I remember seeing woodpeckers there several years ago.

"So I went down for a little look and I could see a little flicker of colour in the treetops and with a bit more patience I was able to spot the nest.

"The poor people at the campsite then had to put up with me spending hours over the space of a week with a tripod trying to capture them with a long lens up in the trees.

"You can make out the chicks from the little red patch on the top of their heads. I felt incredibly lucky to capture the mum feeding her hungry chicks.

"She would go off an find grubs and insects and the chicks make this 'chit chit chit ' sound which grows louder the nearer the mum gets to returning.

"They're basically saying, 'I want to be fed'.

"It really helps to track the moment you need to be in place but it is still rare to capture. It's like hunting but without anyone getting hurt.

"This is a tiny hole at least 25ft up a tree so it still very difficult to spot.

"They make lots of holes up in the trees but the bark is redder by the freshly made holes so you have to look out for that."