Not quite so lesser spotted

By the Warden

During my first year in Norsey Wood, the Warden writes, I heard little of the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos minor). There were just a few records from other people, and a couple of occasions when I’m sure it was their call I heard rather than the Greater Spotted’s (Dendrocopos major) similar but louder call. From the beginning of February this year, there have been a number of sightings, however, and twice I’ve seen one myself.

To spot them you need to have your eyes peeled and your ears tuned in. Green Woodpeckers (Picus viridis) and Greater Spotteds are so big that it’s hard to believe that the Lesser could be so small. After all, it is a bird the size of a House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) that you are looking for. The colouring is similar to that of the Greater Spotted, but the females don’t have any red on them and the male has a red forehead in contrast to the Greater’s red cap and rump. Instead of large white wing patches, the Lesser has rows of white flecks all the way across its back. The two spotted varieties have similar life styles: they both excavate the nest out of soft decaying branches and trunks. It is said that the Lesser prefers to drum out its nest in the underside of large branches rather than in the trunks of trees.

So which woodpecker is it drumming in the Wood? You may think that all drumming by woodpeckers is the same, but if you know what you’re listening for, you can discern the difference. For a start, if you hear lengthy and loud drumming it probably isn’t a Green Woodpecker, as it rarely drums; and when it does, the sound is weak with a trembling quality, lacking in any real power. The Greater Spotted can get a bit drum-happy. It not only drums on trees, but is also regularly lets its presence be known on telegraph poles, fence posts and occasionally on metal posts and chimneys.

The Green is the fastest drummer of all the Woodpeckers, striking the timber between 10 and 15 times per second, and the ferocity of drumming often leads to an erratic crescendo of sorts. The Lesser’s drum burst is longer and weaker than the Greater’s but is more constant, sometimes with a lull in the middle. Those of you who have spent a while in Norsey are probably aware of the Green Woodpecker’s loud, laughing call. The Spotteds have similar calls to each other – a ‘kik’, but, as with the drumming, the Greater’s is much louder and faster.

So now you know what to look out for, the Warden concludes. I look forward to receiving lots more sightings of Europe’s smallest Woodpecker.