Cyn's Nature Notes: Lesser spotted woodpecker

Sunday 1 July 2012

Lesser spotted woodpecker

Watched a lesser spotted woodpecker on the acacia this morning, he was slowly climbing the trunk, going not just upward but across, back and forth from side to side as he slowly moved higher, his beak probing all of the cracks of which there were many.

Lesser spotted woodpeckers eat spiders, insects and larvae, in the winter they will also eat seeds and berries. They are much smaller than the other two woodpeckers --- the great spotted and the green woodpecker. Lesser spotted woodpeckers are barred black and white, the male has a red top to his head and the female has a whitish top, they are sometimes referred to as pied woodpeckers. Youngsters also have a red top to their head.

They roost at night in old holes in trees. Their nests are usually in self excavated holes thirty to forty feet high in trees, occasionally they will not make a new hole but will use an old one, adapting it to fit their needs. The nesting chamber is about a foot below the entrance and has a layer of dust and wood chips on the bottom. During the last two weeks in May they lay between five and eight shiny, white eggs, which both parents incubate for eleven to twelve days. The nestlings then take between eighteen and thirty days to fledge, they are fed by both parents on soft insects like aphids and larvae.

Sadly these birds are now not as common as they used to be, maybe because of loss of habitat and also because they are predated on by great spotted woodpeckers, and possible other reasons also.

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About this Blog

When we moved to our present home in December 1987, I was very ill and bedridden. My garden was a life-saver, although it was very different then. The first thing I did was to put up bird-feeders, and long hours were spent lying indoors in a recliner. This was when I discovered many things. Do you know the underside of every blue tit’s tail is differently marked? Gradually, over the years, the garden changed. We put in shrubs and plants that would not only enhance the garden, but would also be good for wildlife. The first rabbit we saw was so joyful for us. The deer eat the flowers, prune the apple trees, eat the marrow, and are wonderful to watch. Foxes have been a major part of our wildlife. We have fed them each night for more than 20 years. They are such a delight, especially in late summer and early autumn when there are youngsters. They behave like puppies and are great fun to watch.

I love all wildlife: the mason bees that nest in the brickwork of the bungalow, the hornets that last year made their home in the roof above our bedroom, the bees currently nesting in the roof above the bathroom. On a hot evening, if you stand quietly in the bathroom, you can hear this amazing sound: it is very rhythmic and reminds me of the waves at the seaside. It is made by the beating of the bees’ wings as they fan their nest to keep the temperature at the right level -- how many people have heard that sound? I feel so privileged.

Obviously, I feed the birds. When I open the window in the morning I call “Come on Bobby and Blackie”, and one followed swiftly by the other they fly immediately to the bird table. Each morning, on rising, I make my way to the kitchen and find the squirrels already sitting on the window ledge waiting to be fed. Winter brings the moorhens and spring time the mallards. Our pond is a poor effort from a human point of view, but wild creatures see it differently. On summer days, the grass snakes spend long hours in the pond: eating the fish, froglets, toadlings, newts, and any other living creature they can swallow. Although I hate to see the pond emptied this way, I do enjoy the snakes and feel they are an important part of the balance of nature in the garden. Watching a dragonfly nymph climbing out of the pond, up a plant stalk, and then over the next few hours gradually transforming into a beautiful dragonfly -- these are contented hours well spent.

It has been my pleasure to write and publish a nature column each month. I am always delighted to hear how much pleasure this brings to my readers. I have often been asked if I have written a book, so I am making more of my writings and photography available through this web site and blog.