They are more often heard than seen, but this woodpecker was more than happy to pose for photographs on a glorious morning in Alexandra Park this week.

The stunning bird was snapped by Twitter user Harringay Birder, who spotted it hammering away at a tree in The Grove during a walk on Monday.

The ornithologist wrote on Twitter: “A woodpecker busily drumming me out of my early morning stupor in The Grove, Alexandra Park, earlier today.

“And another shot. He may have posed for this one.”

The bird is understood to be a great spotted woodpecker, the most commonly seen and photographed of the often-shy family of birds.

Bird spotters can distinguish between males and female great spotted woodpecker by looking out for a red back on the males, which is not present on females.