Lesser spotted woodpecker

I spent my lunch break looking for lesser spotted woodpeckers today and following several recent failed attempts, finally nailed them for the year. I could hear the bird drumming as I walked down the lane and fortunately there were a couple of birders watching it when I got there, who immediately got me onto it. A good view through binoculars of a drumming male, but almost impossible to get a decent photograph through the predictable tangle of branches and usual lighting problems associated with photographing a small bird high up in a leafless tree on a dull day. Still, a photograph is always a bonus rather than the goal. Always a endearing little bird it's such a shame that they are now so rare in the North West.

Year: 166 (Lesser spotted woodpecker)