A last minute decision to go to Moore Nature Reserve near Warrington, rather than Eccleston Mere first thing paid off handsomely! I was at Moore for 7:50am, and it was a glorious start to the day. I walked through the woods and then along the side of the old canal to a dead tree which has become the residence of a pair of Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers. I was there for about 20 minutes before I saw the first bird, a female which landed high up in an Alder. A few minutes later she was joined by a male, complete with red crown. Wonderful little birds, I watched them for several minutes as they flew around and called, occasionally pecking at the bark of the tree and inspecting a potential nest hole. In the distance a Green Woodpecker yaffled. My first Lesser Spots in the UK since I saw a female at Eccleston Mere in 1999, though I did see one near Seville in Spain in 2008.
Then I had a walk to Birch Wood pool and saw the long staying female Smew. Year 142
Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers are unexpectedly small and unobtrusive. How hard would this female be to spot if it didn't call and you didn't know it was in the area?
Unfortunately their preferred tree is not easy to photograph, but on one of these photos you can see the males red crown.
I am fond of redheads, yes they might not be quite as sexy as a full plumage male, but they have an allure all of their own....
I'm glad to see the male has found a mate. I was there last year and the birders there said that the male had been on it's own for years. I hope they brood successfully.
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