Ken and Linda Smith

Our copy of Herts Bird Report arrived today, excellent as ever. Well done Clifford and all the team. Looking forward to reading it. @hertsbirds.bsky.social @hnhsoc.bsky.social

It’s out in time for Christmas. Again! #hertsbirds #ukbirding

Many thanks to everyone who contributed to LesserSpotNet this year, especially those who found and monitored the nests, this is good news for the future.

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker at its nest in New Forest, photo by Steve Laycock

Six Lesser Spot young in a Quantocks nest, photo Gus Robin

Something to celebrate - our 2025 Lesser Spotted Woodpecker report - successful breeding season, the most nests monitored & highest number of chicks fledged per nest since we started in 2015. Acoustic monitoring giving amazing results too, download here www.woodpecker-network.org.uk/images/L_S_W...

Thanks, it was a great day out with you both and we were pleased to share some Lesser Spot hot spots with you.

This is a brilliant initiative. Woodpecker Network is working with BTO to develop a passive acoustic monitoring module for Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers. Trials have proved successful in reliably detecting their drums and calls, revealing many new locations. We are taking this forward in spring 2026

Our WeBS count (below) was assisted by a low flying Marsh Harrier putting up a flock of Redshank, also saw 4 Jack Snipe & a Kingfisher, @sussexornitholo.bsky.social

Ken on flooded bridge at high tide

Our BTO @webs-gsmp.bsky.social high tide count yesterday at Fishbourne Creek was unseasonably warm at 17 degrees. Good numbers though - Snipe 53 (our highest ever count), Brent Geese 400, Redshank 260, Wigeon 300, Curlew 130, Turnstone 42, Lapwing 60 Gt Crested Grebe 15, but no Godwits seen.

My book has got a great endorsement from Chris Packham: "This clever and immensely resourceful book is an overdue gem". There's also a few pages up on the website too! It's up for pre-order here with publication set for January pelagicpublishing.com/products/pan...

Congratulations Graeme, what an achievement, we pre-ordered our copy and are looking forward to seeing it in January.

Many congratulations Julian. It was great to see you again at at the BTO reception last evening and join in the applause as you received the medal.

Experts help unlock the secrets of our smallest woodpecker ​Leading ornithologists from across the world met in Bangor last week as the University hosted the European Ornithologists Union conference. It is only the second time the UK has been the venue for...

In the week the @eounion.bsky.social met @bangoruniversity.bsky.social, latest findings from @lesserspotnet.bsky.social provide hope for this hard-to-find bird.

@northwaleslive.bsky.social BirdNotes also rounds up the week's scarcer sightings. #BirdingWales

www.birdnotes.wales/blog/experts...

Some of the numerous juveniles among 44+ Hawfinches at West Dean, Sussex, this morning, feeding on beech, presumably mast. @sussexornitholo.bsky.social @sussexwildlife.bsky.social @ukrbbp.bsky.social

#BOUatEOU - Resources - British Ornithologists' Union Woodland birds18 August 2025 - MALT Lecture Theatre, Bangor University, Wales, UK & BlueskyMain conference pagePresenter and attendee resourcesPROGRAMMEABSTRACT BOOKLETBOU GUIDE TO BLUESKY CONFERENCES...

Ken & Linda Smith will be at the BOU Woodland Birds Conference on 18 August 2025 at Bangor. Ken is giving a talk ‘Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers: how citizen science is contributing to our understanding of this enigmatic species’ Looking forward to seeing some of you there bou.org.uk/conferences-...

We will be representing Woodpecker Network the BOU Woodland Birds Conference on 18 August 2025 at Bangor. Ken is giving a talk ‘Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers: how citizen science is contributing to our understanding of this enigmatic species’ We are both looking forward to it bou.org.uk/wp-content/u...

Effect of habitat quality and quantity on the occurrence and persistence of the lesser spotted woodpecker (Dryobates minor) across two time periods | doi.org/10.1016/j.bi... | Biological Conservation | #ornithology #conservation 🪶🌎

Yes, Red Underwing moths are superbly camouflaged. We found one or 2 or more roosting in six of our nest boxes at NT Slindon Estate last week.

Good to have our citizen science Bat recording project noted in The Times today. Since 2018 using our automatic bat detector at 100+ sites we have found bats everywhere in Chichester area, including rare Kuhl's Pipistrelle. See Chichester Natural History Society website www.chinats.org.uk/medmerry-3

333,769 records! Entered 950+ records today from a single 7-hour survey on a farm on the 8th June.

Fantastic achievement, Graeme, well done

Can you help find Sussex's breeding Hawfinches by locating cherry trees and looking for split cherry stones? See www.sos.org.uk/archives/6421 Thank you! @sussexornitholo.bsky.social @sussexwildlife.bsky.social @ukrbbp.bsky.social

Well that was quick - just flushed a Green Sandpiper from the stream at the bottom of the garden. Garden tick, but autumn migration starts here!

Yes it certainly looks good, right size and fresh. Lets hope it was used successfully this year.

Good news for Lesser Spots to have a brood of 4 chicks

Yes, a very good effort this year. Volunteers found and monitored 24 LSW nests, this represents about 1% of possible nests assuming an estimated Lesser Spot population of 2000+ pairs in England and Wales.

How many nests across the country is that now? Must be approaching a record!

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker chicks in their nest cavity

LesserSpotNetwork volunteers observing a LSW nest high in a Birch tree

Another day - another 3 Lesser Spotted Woodpecker nests found and being monitored in Devon and the New Forest. Great work by LesserSpotNet volunteers. Healthy chicks being well fed by both parents in all the nests. More nests could be found this week.

One Lesser Spot nest has fully fledged. The other quite a way to go. Slight concerns over a small hole in the back of the nest. Noticed by both Male and Female this morning. @lesserspotnet.bsky.social @angusrobin.bsky.social #birds @stuckateur.bsky.social

Image of a male Blackbird perched on top of a bush (image credit by Philip Croft/BTO). The BBS logo on a white background runs down the right-hand side of the image alongside the wording: Breeding Bird Survey 2024 report. To the left on a blue-grey background wording in white lettering reads: Blackbird population. 10% decline across England over the last 10 years! Below this is a BBS Index for England 1994-2024 graph showing a general decrease for Blackbird.

1/ What the @bbs-birds.bsky.social report means for England. ⬇️

Blackbird has declined by 10% here over the last 10 years. The disease Usutu Virus may be one of the contributing factors: bit.ly/GWHUsutu

@btobirds.bsky.social @jncc.bsky.social @rspbscience.bsky.social #Ornithology

LesserSpotNet special pin badges presented by @angusrobin.bsky.social to volunteers Stuart @stuckateur.bsky.social (left) & Ed @edhorncastle.bsky.social (right) who found and monitored breeding outcomes at LSW nests in Devon - many thanks both