Worrying news from the heartland of Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers in Britain. Meanwhile, in #Wales the number of sites at which LSW is recorded has more than halved in the last 15 years (chart from forthcoming @birdsinwales.bsky.social 2023 Bird Report). Sad times. #BirdingWales (1/2) - ThreadSky

penrhynbirder.bsky.social • 149 days ago

Worrying news from the heartland of Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers in Britain. Meanwhile, in #Wales the number of sites at which LSW is recorded has more than halved in the last 15 years (chart from forthcoming @birdsinwales.bsky.social 2023 Bird Report). Sad times. #BirdingWales (1/2)

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nickydvs.bsky.social•149 days ago

Really worrying to hear. Lots of riparian alders that I used to monitor for LSW have been razed due to phytopthora, traditional orchards decimated, more GSW predation, fewer inverts, etc, etc. The perfect storm for this beautiful and charismatic wee bird

penrhynbirder.bsky.social•149 days ago

I suspect the apparently lower numbers in the early 2000s reflects the fact that they were not so well reported (and perhaps more abundant?), especially before the advent of BirdTrack and eBird. (2/2)

timallwood.bsky.social•149 days ago

Warmer, wetter springs - the result of climate change - decimating productivity.

A slow decline that now looks terminal. 🙄

lesserspotnet.bsky.social•149 days ago

Yes - data from Lesser Spot Network indicates climate change is having an adverse effect on breeding success and productivity

kevjsmith3.bsky.social•149 days ago

Really sad. Scare garden bird when I was a kid and now not seen a North Wales bird in over a decade.

lesserspotnet.bsky.social•149 days ago

Thanks Julian for this information from Wales, yes this is very worrying indeed and it is likely the overall English trends would be similar if all the records could be brought together. Maybe wishful thinking that the Welsh trend does not look so steep in the last few years?

penrhynbirder.bsky.social•149 days ago

I fear that probably is wishful thinking. Am guessing that reporting has increased as it's become such a hard bird to find in Wales? No proven breeding in 2022 or 2023.

northwarksbirder.bsky.social•149 days ago

Just a thought, the sharper decline seems to start with the increase use of social media? Obviously not the only reason but partly to blame in disturbance of birds?

penrhynbirder.bsky.social•149 days ago

Possible, of course, but I don't recall seeing an LSW site in Wales promoted on social media in c.20 years on birding Facebook groups or 15 I was on Twitter. I know one or two sites in England are well-watched by birders and photographers (and the birds are still there) but doubt it's the case here.

northwarksbirder.bsky.social•149 days ago

I think social media has widened the Chanel for access to certain bird species, and not only that but the reward&competition has increased whether it’s for likes/followers or for the most impressive pics achieved, I think birds have become more of a commodity for personal gain. But I’m pretty jaded

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