March 2025 Lesser Spotted Woodpecker update
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Lesser Spots are most active in March and April, calling, drumming and displaying. So a sunny morning now is the best time to find them.
So far this year LesserSpotNet volunteers have recorded LSW in Dartmoor and Exmoor, The Quantocks, New Forest, West and East Sussex, North Kent Blean woods complex, Essex, Berkshire, Derbyshire, the Wyre Forest and more.
Kent Ornithological Society are carrying out a county wide Lesser Spot survey with good results so far, see their website for more details.
Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers 2024 Report
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Sadly 2024 has been one of the poorest breeding seasons for Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers since Woodpecker Network was started in 2015. Only eleven nests were found, some at a very late stage and, on average, only just over one young fledged per nest. This is probably not enough to sustain the population. Read the full 2024 report
Is that a Lesser Spotted or Great Spotted Woodpecker in your garden?
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Don't get confused! At this time of year, if you see a Woodpecker with a bright red cap in your garden, it will be a young Great Spotted Woodpecker not a Lesser Spot.
This photo shows an adult male Great Spot with its youngster, note the young Great Spot has a bright red cap.
Note that Great Spots have long white shoulder patches and red unter the tail, Lesser Spots do not have these and are much smaller.
Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers nesting update
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Woodpeckers are nesting now, both Lesser Spotted and Great Spotted are feeding young at their nests in cavities in trees.
Our team of Lesser Spot Network volunteers are observing several Lesser Spot nests to establish the outcomes.
This nest is high in a poplar tree, the male adult LSW is bringing food for a male chick peeping out of the nest hole.
Please get in touch (in confidence) if you have any information about a nest.
When watching a nest please take care not to disturb the birds
April 2024 Lesser Spot nesting update
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Thanks to everyone who has been in touch with information about Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers this year. The breeding season has started eary this year with nest excavtions reported so far from the New Forest, Somerset, Devon and Norfolk. At one nest incubation has already started, which is the earliest recorded for the project. Plese keep the information coming in. Please take care not to disturb the birds when making your observations.