Lesser Spot Network

@lesserspotnet.bsky.social action hotting up on Dartmoor. Lots of drumming by a pair this morning. Lots of calling too and the best views of the courtship butterfly flight Ive ever had (not on video). Excited for the weeks ahead @angusrobin.bsky.social

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker

I headed into central Essex yday for my annual search for LESSER SPOTTED WOODPECKERS and was thrilled to find a pair! Very mobile in the trees but managed to grab this shot. #essexbirding #BirdsSeenIn2026 #ukbirds #birds #birding #nature @lesserspotnet.bsky.social @britishnatureguide.bsky.social

With good weather forecast we put our sound recorder out in this lovely looking wet woodland near Petworth, hoping to detect Lesser Spotted Woodpecker calls and drums. The Sussex LSW survey has got off to a great start with positive results from several locations. No luck for us yet. 🫣

Woodpecker Network display at the conference

Enjoyed Sussex Biological Recorders Seminar last weekend. Lots of interest in @lesserspotnet.bsky.social & @sussexornitholo.bsky.social display about our Lesser Spotted Woodpecker survey in Sussex using passive sound recorders. Plan to survey 100 1xKm squares with wet woodland across the county.

Dog walk around Gravetye after the rain, highlight was a lesser Spotted Woodpecker (First record for many many years) several Crossbills,3 pairs of Marsh Tits,2 Redwings,Little Grebe and calling Tawny Owl.

Fantastic good news

Thanks Ed, so glad you have connected with your Devon Lesser Spots again this year.

@lesserspotnet.bsky.social My sites at The Blean are slow to start this year - very quiet again today, but here’s one of two birds seen this morning

Thanks Paul, good to hear that you have Lesser Spots at your sites in The Blean. From other reports it seems like sightings are slow everywhere, not helped by the poor weather.

Birders encouraged to detect Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers with passive recorders During the last two years, The Woodpecker Network has successfully used passive acoustic monitors to detect the calling and drumming of Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers. The group has now written guidance protocol for Song Meters to provide more of the practical details for using the method with the devices.

The Woodpecker Network is encouraging birders to detect Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers by using passive acoustic sound recorders:

Thank you for sending us the information about your paper. Well done, all very interesting

Interesting paper from @manuelschweizer.bsky.social and a reminder of the range of Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers across Europe to the Balkans and Asia Minor.

After our talk about Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers at @berksbirdclub.bsky.social thrilled to be given this woodcut monoprint on vintage wallpaper by the artist @peterdriver.bsky.social - 'Lesser Spotted now seldom seen' highlighting their decline since the wallpaper was made. Thank you Peter

Stop press - the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker monitoring module is now freely available for all to use on BTO @btobirds.bsky.social Acoustic Pipeline app.bto.org/acoustic-pip...

Bossenden Wood last couple of days: Lesser Spot, Great Spot, Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Firecrest, Goldcrest, Stock Dove, Redwing, Mistle Thrush, Song Thrush, Blue Tits, Great Tits and LT Tits. #kentbirding

Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers – reasons for optimism! An in person talk by Ken Smith on 18 February for Berkshire Ornithological Club at University of Reading at 7:30. Also on Zoom - Details here berksoc.org.uk/events/lesse...

A brilliant start in the Blean, well done. It will be interesting to see if more birds are found following the successful breeding season in 2025

A good start to 2026 nesting season, the Wyre Forest is a stronghold for Lesser Spots.

Wet woodland habitat, good for woodpeckers

Mini sound recorder on birch tree

As part of @sussexornitholo.bsky.social Lesser Spotted Woodpecker survey using passive acoustic monitoring. We put our sound recorder out today hoping for fine weather on Saturday when LSW may be calling & drumming. Nice looking wet woodland habitat in the Weald near Midhurst @btobirds.bsky.social

Our new guidance note/protocol for using sound recorders to detect Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers gives practical details for using Song Meter Mini & Micro recorders from Wildlife Acoustics in woodland with suitable habitat & has proved a great success www.woodpecker-network.org.uk/index.php/ne...

Good find by @paulc090316.bsky.social in the Blean and a great start to the season, reminding us all to get out to the woods and look and listen for Lesser Spots

Lesser spot in the Wyre forest weather perfect for these stunning birds also 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿birds started drumming today 😀@lesserspotnet.bsky.social

Splendid news and a wake up call for the rest of us to visit the woods

A highlight of the year
March 2025
Birmingham
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker
Great!
@ecorecord.bsky.social
@westmidbirdclub.bsky.social
@lesserspotnet.bsky.social

Happy Christmas to one and all

Well done Jamie, we are pleased to be collaborating with you and Malcolm @piedflynet.bsky.social on these studies

Thanks to everyone who came along at #BES2025 to chat about my work on phenological synchrony with @kenandlindasmith.bsky.social and @piedflynet.bsky.social

Even for specialist species, mismatch may only matter in years where resources are scarce 🐦🐛

If I missed you at the conference, get in touch!

Bioacoustics as a tool for the detection and monitoring of a scarce woodland bird – the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker Having declined massively in numbers and range in Britain over the last few decades, the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker Dryobates minor is a priority...

Bioacoustics as a tool for the detection and monitoring of a scarce woodland bird – the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker paper now live in the latest British Birds journal.

Read more:

Acoustic monitoring for Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers - LesserSpotNet is fully involved with this excellent initiative being developed by BTO which is all positive for the conservation of LSWs

Felt like spring this morning. Lesser spots seemed to think so with lots of calling some displaying and then some calm feeding in the beautiful light. @lesserspotnet.bsky.social @angusrobin.bsky.social #Birds