Male LSW incubating 7 eggs in Sherwood Forest

What a great 10 days, Lesser Spot Network observers have found 10 nests at the egg stage, which is the most ever for the project.

Nests are now being monitored by volunteers in the New Forest (4), Surrey (2), Gloucestershire, East Anglia, Staffordshire and Sherwood Forest. We have loaned out all three of our nest viewing cameras to monitor progress through until fledging.

20190501131618 SherwoodClutch of 7 eggs in Sherwood Forest nestSome more firsts:

  • The largest clutch, 7 eggs in the Sherwood Forest nest
  • The highest nest viewed with the camera at an epic 17.4 metres (57 feet) in East Anglia.
  • The lowest nest, at only 3 metres in the New Forest in a dead holly.

IMG 20190426 Nest viewing NF webMonitoring nests from this early stage gives us crucial information on the number of eggs, the date the first egg was laid and nest survival, as well as the number of chicks that fledge. The timing is important for the availability of food for the chicks.

Please keep looking for Lesser Spot nests, they will become more obvious in a couple of weeks’ time when the adults are feeding young. Information on any LSW nest is valuable, even if it is found at a late stage.

The details of nest locations are kept confidential.