The Lincolnshire Bird Club

REQUEST: Lesser Spotted Woodpecker Records in Lincolnshire

The table below shows the peak of Lesser Spotted Woodpecker records from the BTO birdtrack system http://www.birdtrack.org is between Feb-Apr.



The Lesser Spotted Woodpecker has declined significantly and very rapidly since around the 1980's. The next two months are the peak time to record this species.

Please can you submit all records of this species, which is NOW recorded by the RBBP (Rare Breeding Bird Panel). One of the Lincs Bird Club responsibilities, is to submitting an annual report for all RBBP species in Lincolnshire. We therefore need your records (which will remain confidential).

As this species is now getting so rare, please submit your records direct to the county recorders during the critical breeding season (Feb, Mar, Apr). This advice is in line with other online record systems (including birdguides etc..) who no longer publish online records during the breeding season for Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers.

Thanks

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Andrew Chick
Website: http://www.forktail.co.uk/

a very interesting and thought provoking article in the latest issue of Birdwatching Magazine on Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers and their decline to extinction in the UK; well worth a detailed read; in essence LSW need 740 hectares of good quality feeding woodland per bird in a winter territory and 110 hectares in summer; the fragmentation of woodlands and particularly the loss of old hedgerow oaks has limited the interchange of birds and left pairs isolated and prone to inbreeding ; the most straightforward threats though are not that obvious at first glance; direct predation from Great Spotted Woodpeckers and competition for limited supplies of caterpillars in spring and summer is tied to the large species rapid population growth and range infill BUT this is attributed to the loss of woodland breeding Common Starlings that have declined to extinction and were formerly dominant over breeding Great Spots; the declines of Starlings like most other species are related to the huge losses of butterflies and moths and their caterpillars and invertebrate prey collected of course outside the woodlands so a massive interconnecting web that is the food chain again destroyed by the greed of man and his inexorable sense of control over nature. Lesser Spots also need to breed early to coordinated feeding young with caterpillar abundance and holes taken over by Great Spots mean they have to excavate a new one and nest later when most of the young then starve in the nest. I have added a few bits tot he text but this is part of a well written study and an obvious explanation for the massive losses we now see in Lincolnshire one of the most chemically drenched and sterile environments in Britain.
It goes without saying that anyone finding Lesser Spots should under no circumstances be playing recordings to aggravate these birds that are in such a dire state and need all the protection we can give them.

The bird club is planning a woodland recording week between Saturday 15th March and Sunday 23rd March. This hopefully links in with the peak time to record Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers in Lincolnshire (See updated birdtrack map below).



We would like observers to volunteer to survey a specific woodlands and record all species, with particular effort to count ALL woodpeckers, nuthatch, marsh tit and willow tit. The aim of the survey is to cover ALL woodlands that have recorded LSW in the last 10 years (and as many new sites as possible). A list of woodlands will appear shortly on the forum - in the meantime, if you wish to volunteer for a specific woodland, please email me (andrew@forktail.co.uk) with details of your preferred woodland (please use woodland name as appears on the local OS map). Full survey details and survey methods will appear on the forum shortly.

Thanks

Andrew

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Andrew Chick
Website: http://www.forktail.co.uk/

The chart below shows the LIVE BTO birdtrack data (March 15th 2014) for lesser spotted woodpecker in the UK.



Lincs Bird Club Woodland Bird Survey Week - March 15th - 23rd
The survey methodology is simple. Please select any local woodland and visit it at least once between March 15th - 23rd. Please record all woodland birds and either submit on LBC Forum or Birdtrack. We are keen to have max count of all woodpeckers, nuthatch, willow tit and marsh tit. ALL records will be added to the LBC database.

Thanks to the following people for volunteering specific woodland (email andrew@forktail.co.uk to add YOUR woodland to the list):

Haugham Wood - Mike Tarrant
Haugham Pasture - Mike Tarrant
Laughton Forest - Graham Catley
Barton Park - Graham Catley
Haugham Pastures wood - John Walker
Belton Mount - Andrew Chick
Skellingthorpe Wood - Nick Tribe
Rough Wood - Nick Tribe
Potterhanworth - Nick Tribe
Elsea Woods - V Fleming
Osgodby coppice - Nicholas Watts
Legbourne Wood - John Clarkson
Hoplands Wood - Lige Lound
Welton Low and High Woods - Lige Lound
Willingham Woods - Stuart Britton
Linwood Warren -Stuart Britton
Hoplands Wood -Mike Tarrant
Muckton Wood - Mike Tarrant
Woodhall Spa Golf Course - John Watt
Highhall Wood - John Watt

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Andrew Chick
Website: http://www.forktail.co.uk/

I think we can compile a list from Forest Pines as well
Lots of spare Grimsby area and Lincoln area woods folks?

had one at forest pines 6 days ago

terry whalin