Lesser Spotted Woodpecker.
01st July 2019
In the UK and especially the Brecon Beacons where we live, the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker is in steep decline. It is now a very difficult bird to hear let alone see and a birder can go years without seeing one. Unfortunately because there is no real explanation for this decline things are not going to improve anytime soon. It is also ironic, because if you do have the luck to see one they are not particularly shy and of our three resident Woodpeckers they are the least wary!
We were hoping to see one of these little Woodpeckers in Bulgaria or Romania because they do not have the problems that we have in the UK regarding crashing bird numbers.
We drove to an isolated area very early one morning, we were up and about just after first light every day to maximise the comfortable temperatures, because throughout this trip it was in excess of thirty degrees every day and getting up early when you are seeing nice wildlife has never been a problem for us.
As we wandered along a tree lined track adjacent to a river, Hoopoes, Golden Orioles and Nightingales were singing and we could hear Bee Eaters flying overhead giving their fluty trills. It was a real pleasure just to walk along and listen. I was watching a Red Backed Shrike, (as you do), in a bush.
Susan and Vlado were talking about twenty yards away and casually Vlado said ‘Steve, do you want a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker’? If ever there was a rhetorical question!!
I hurried along and there in front of us was a male, I couldn’t wait to take a few shots.
I told Vlado that it didn’t matter what else I saw, my day was made just by seeing this lovely little bird.
The day, however, was not over, but that's for another blog........
We were hoping to see one of these little Woodpeckers in Bulgaria or Romania because they do not have the problems that we have in the UK regarding crashing bird numbers.
We drove to an isolated area very early one morning, we were up and about just after first light every day to maximise the comfortable temperatures, because throughout this trip it was in excess of thirty degrees every day and getting up early when you are seeing nice wildlife has never been a problem for us.
As we wandered along a tree lined track adjacent to a river, Hoopoes, Golden Orioles and Nightingales were singing and we could hear Bee Eaters flying overhead giving their fluty trills. It was a real pleasure just to walk along and listen. I was watching a Red Backed Shrike, (as you do), in a bush.
Susan and Vlado were talking about twenty yards away and casually Vlado said ‘Steve, do you want a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker’? If ever there was a rhetorical question!!
I hurried along and there in front of us was a male, I couldn’t wait to take a few shots.
I told Vlado that it didn’t matter what else I saw, my day was made just by seeing this lovely little bird.
The day, however, was not over, but that's for another blog........