Pic Noir!

Tim and I were working this morning on the new potager area when a loud "hip-hip-hip-hip" call rang out from the direction of the poplar plantation next door. "What on earth's that?" I said, or words to that effect. I have to recognize birds by sound, and this wasn't familiar. A wader? too loud. A raptor? Wait a minute, that's an odd-looking crow, just heading west over our meadow. Big round floppy wings? White beak? A black woodpecker (dryocopus martius, or pic noir)! This is a new bird for La Forge, although we've seen another near Paulmy. According to Les oiseaux du bassin de la Claise Tourangelle the black woodpecker is confirmed as nesting in the commune of Le Grand Pressigny, so we were hoping to see it. What we heard was the call of a male bird. No pix, sorry!