Here is another sample page from my forthcoming book THE PIED WOODPECKERS. Due out February 2026.

We hear that LesserSpotNet volunteer Toby @tobywildlife.bsky.social will be featuring on Countryfile, BBC1 this Sunday at 17:15, in an item on the ecology of Herefordshire’s habitats - it could well be interesting.

Nice walk in the Wyre forest good to hear LSW calling the second time in a week at this location

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...

I've made it to #EOU2025 in Bangor, and I'm starting with the #BOUatEOU symposium on #WoodlandBirds. Lovely talk by Ken Smith, who's been studying the nesting habits of #LesserSpottedWoodpeckers in the UK over decades. #CitizenScience @lesserspotnet.bsky.social @bou.org.uk @eounion.bsky.social

1 Pleased to be presenting the latest results gathered by Woodpecker-Network volunteers on Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers and what we can do to conserve them better #BOUatEOU www.woodpecker-netwo...#BOUatEOU

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...

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-...

Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers like lots of woodland, but not woodland management and forestry. Interesting implications for the remaining populations in Britain: expanding unmanaged (or lightly managed) natural native woodland seems helpful. #ukbirding #ornithology

An interesting study of Lesser Spots in Sweden in different types of woodlands.

Just arrived the plan for next spring the lesser spotted woodpecker survey for south and mid wales passive recording @lesserspotnet.bsky.social

It was a privilege to invite @lesserspotnet.bsky.social to the Blean and help with their work on nest productivity for these three healthy chicks! Altogether, my woodland survey site within the Blean for the KOS LSW Survey held no less than six territories! #kentbirding @kentishplover.bsky.social

Upland oakwood on Dartmoor, one of the last refuges in Devon for the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker #30DaysWild @lesserspotnet.bsky.social‬ provided a comprehensive account of the decline and challenges facing this species in www.britishwildlife.com/article/arti...

2025 was a record breeding season for Lesser Spotted Woodpecker nests monitored by our volunteers. None failed & where we were able to check the nest contents the number of chicks fledged was the highest since we started the project in 2015. Full story www.woodpecker-network.org.uk/index.php/ne...

After months of monitoring Lesser Spots in the Blean complex this spring, the ultimate highlight was finding an active nest late this season!!! Since then, three chicks have successfully fledged #kentbirding #ukbirding @lesserspotnet.bsky.social @kentishplover.bsky.social

Ebernoe area in June: Goshawks, Hawfinches, Turtle Doves, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, lots of Nightingales, and Hares. Worth a visit. @sussexwildlife.bsky.social @sussexornitholo.bsky.social

Three Green Woodpecker chicks in a Quantock nest this morning

They have fledged! And so ends what's been a great season.

This one looks like a snail.

Mainly the male feeding chicks this morning. A morning of different eating speeds. The smaller insects they devour in seconds. The larger (unknown to me, any thoughts @lesserspotnet.bsky.social ?) morsels taking a while for them to grab. How many days to fledging?

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

Just to see these birds is a privilege these days sadly,truly wonderful birds i could watch all day SW Uk

As a special thank you, we are awarding unique Lesser Spotted Woodpecker pin badges to LesserSpotNet volunteers who found LSW nests this year or contributed in other ways. The Badges were designed & produced specially for us by @ukbirdingpins.bsky.social Thanks @angusrobin.bsky.social for organising

Pleased to contribute a nest to this years @lesserspotnet.bsky.social monitoring. A brood of 4 revealed by the special camera thanks to @angusrobin.bsky.social

Lesser spot chicks doing well. The male and the female feeding and the male taking out fecal sacks. Is the female calling to the male or trying to entice the chicks out in the 2nd clip @lesserspotnet.bsky.social ?She did this a number of times today @angusrobin.bsky.social @stuckateur.bsky.social

A good looking brood of Lesser Spot chicks in the nest found by @edhorncastle.bsky.social - well done Ed - Lesser Spots need to fledge an average of 3 chicks per nest to sustain the population

Superb find by @angusrobin.bsky.social - a brood of 6 Lesser Spotted Woodpecker chicks is exceptional - all looking very good and well fed in the nest cavity

Four nests have been found so far across Devon and Somerset, including one brood of six). There’s still time to find more this week @lesserspotnet.bsky.social

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.

Checked in with the lesser spot nest found by @stuckateur.bsky.social both Male and Female working hard to feed the young. @lesserspotnet.bsky.social clearing of what I think are faecal sacks a prominent part of the morning. Also lots of spotted flycatchers which grabbed the attention of the Male.

From deep within tree holes, Great Spotted Woodpecker chicks beg noisily. Both parents will deliver food to the nest, until red-capped fledglings emerge, clinging to trunks and still calling hungrily. Parents can continue to feed fledglings for around 10 days. #SpringStories

Some Lesser Spotted Woodpecker chicks are fledging this week. At a nest in East Sussex today, we saw at least one chick being fed in the nest high in this Hornbeam tree & the adults feeding two more juveniles close by. Thanks to MA & RB for finding and showing @kenandlindasmith.bsky.social the nest

Fantastic news 19 Lesser Spotted Woodpecker nests found and being watched/monitored by our volunteers so far. Most have 4 chicks, well fed by the adults. Nests are so difficult to find & these are only a tiny proportion of the several thousand LSW pairs in Britain, but all very positive this year.

Successful trip to Kent y'day to visit 2 Lesser Spotted Woodpecker nests, our endoscope revealed 4 chicks ready to fledge, 11 m high in a dead Ash & 3 chicks snug in a dead Oak. Thanks @paulc090316.bsky.social & Jonathan for finding the nests & showing them to us - all very positive for success.

@lesserspotnet.bsky.social Mum and dad together - Kent, 25th May 2025

A fantastic 3 day birding in the south west looking for lesser spot nests happy to say I found nest number 17 this year!! A big thanks to @lesserspotnet.bsky.social and gus robin who came to image the nest showing possibly 3/4 young birds fantastic work these people are doing for the species 👏

LesserSpotNet volunteers have now found 16 active LSW nests - 2 more nests were found today. Young have now fledged at 3 nests - so get looking.

@lesserspotnet.bsky.social Kent, 24th May 2025

@lesserspotnet.bsky.social Kent, 24th May 2025

Now is your last chance to find a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker nest. For the next week LSW young will be calling from the nest hole and you may hear them. So have a good search in your local woods. LesserSpotNet volunteers are already watching/monitoring twelve nests in the Midlands & South England.

…and thermal cameras do help find and monitor woodpecker nests! Here’s a Great Spotted Woodpecker nest on a cool morning with older chicks making plenty of heat. @lesserspotnet.bsky.social @btobirds.bsky.social (Hikmicro Falcon FQ35 but SW optics have kindly loaned a Hikmicro Lynx 2.0 too.)

We were honoured to accept the 2024 BTO Marsh Award on behalf of Woodpecker Network @angusrobin.bsky.social and @kenandlindasmith.bsky.social in recognition of all our LesserSpotNet volunteers

Pleased to help observe a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker nest in the New Forest, too high in a dead Beech to inspect with nest camera. The pair changed over once during an hour watch so nest is still active and at egg incubating stage (which takes 11 days). All good information.

It’s May, and we’re approaching the peak of the breeding season. It’s a brilliant time to be out recording rare breeding #birds #UKbirding youtu.be/lSmGRDsp8-g?...

Exciting news from Wyre Forest NNR, we looked into 2 Lesser Spotted Woodpecker nest cavities on 2 May with our endoscope. Female incubating 7 eggs in one (not all visible in photo) & 6 tiny chicks just hatched at 2nd nest. Both early so should do well. Thanks Natural England for showing us round.

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker nesting now well advanced, pairs & nest excavations found by volunteers from Devon across to Sussex and North to Shropshire & East Anglia. Thanks everyone a great start. Lots more to be found & monitored for breeding success. (Photo by KB) www.woodpecker-network.org.uk

Pin sharp Lesser-spotted Woodpecker from Dartmoor on Saturday afternoon 😀 @lesserspotnet.bsky.social Kept returning to the same tree, despite being moved on a couple of times by possibility a second bird

Wood chips from an oak on the path - looked up to see a new GSW nest in progress in Hodders Co, Quantock Hills. (There’s an older hole below the new one too.)

Was hoping for egg laying this Easter Sunday. Not sure its happening yet but maybe. The male was calling from in the hole. The female came over had a good look. Went off to eat and did visit again this morning. @lesserspotnet.bsky.social #birds

@lesserspotnet.bsky.social A presumed unpaired male. He’s been scrapping with another male - including some spectacular mid-air tussles - on each of my last four visits