Lesser Spotted Woodpecker

There are few more prominent signs of spring than drumming woodpeckers. In Denmark we have a mixed variety of woodpeckers - we have the very common Great Spotted Woodpecker, the scarce Lesser Spotted Woodpecker plus the monster Black Woodpecker. Some parts of Denmark also have the Green Woodpecker but this is a very scarce bird in the Copenhagen area. Vaserne is a place to the north of Copenhagen that consists of some damp woodland (with lots of alder carr), a lake and some scrubby open areas. It is one of the most reliable places to see and hear Lesser Spotted Woodpecker in the area.

A short visit on Monday, feeling distinctly under the weather, was my first trip to this site and I was impressed. The first few hundred metres walk revealed good numbers of Brambling, a pair of Hawfinches, 4 singing Nuthatches, 3 singing Treecreepers and 4 Red Squirrels. I met local birder, Frank Desting, who was also looking for LSW. After walking along the most suitable area, we heard some light tapping that we thought immediately could be a LSW. After a couple of minutes of checking the nearby trees, Frank spotted a fine female Lesser Spotted Woodpecker feeding close to the path at head height. It fed actively for several minutes, flitting between the trees, before being lost to view as it made its way deeper into the wood. I later heard a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker drumming and it is likely that it was the same bird. It used to be thought that only the males drummed but it has since been proved, at least with Lesser Spotted, that females also drum regularly in spring.

The walk back also produced a Great Grey Shrike that was sitting sentinel-like atop a tall birch tree.

Photos: female Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (males have red on the head)