It's November and the path connecting Monchelsea Park with Bicknor Wood development has finally broken through. Most of the bird nesting boxes have been repaired or replaced. The woodpeckers destroyed many of them despite their defences. I have always assumed that it is the Great Spotted Woodpecker doing the damage, but it is possible that it may be a Green Woodpecker . 12 of the boxes suffered the unwanted attentions of one or the other species which are both regularly seen and heard in the wood. The defences are not intended to completely fox the woodpeckers, but to slow them down so that the small birds have a better chance of defending their brood and driving the attacker away. The leaves have been giving way to the seasonal imperative, but there were still enough to delight the eye with colour. My dance with the Jay continues. I had hoped that a shot amongst the autumn colours might be the one, but a slight softness due to high ISO betrays the shakes in low light.