Woodpecker sighting!

I have never seen a woodpecker before, according to Wikipedia they are worldwide EXCEPT in Australia and NZ. But when I heard the tap tap tap outside my bedroom window this morning it couldn't have been anything else. (The construction workers next door make a much heavier louder sound).

Looking out, I saw 2 of them (woodpeckers, not construction workers) at work on a dead tree in the property behind. The one closest to me was a male with a red head, and the other was tapping around the other side of the tree, maybe his mate?
It took me a bit of googling to discover they were Ladder-backed woodpeckers for the interesting black and white pattern on their backs. Here is a picture from the Amigos de Sian Kaan website - Sian Kaan is a huge biosphere which starts just south of here and continues almost to the Belize border, and a great place for birdwatching. It's also a wonderful absorber of Carbon Dioxide from the air.

The Ladder-backed woodpecker nests in cavities excavated from tree trunks, and bores into trees looking for insects or larva.  Here in Mexico they also eat the fruit of the cactus - there is a lot of that around at the moment so these little guys won't be starving any time soon.