The Lesser Spotted Woodpecker is the smallest and least common of the UK's three species of woodpecker. It is most often found in the tops of trees where it creeps along branches in search of insects. Found in England, but rare in the north. Absent from Scotland and Ireland. Its 'drumming' is much quieter and less vigorous than that of the Great Spotted Woodpecker; its presence is often only given away by this or their call.
The lesser spotted woodpecker is small in size, being not much bigger than a house sparrow. Males are black and white, with a red crown cap, and females are plain black and white. They both have a distinctive white ladder marking down their black back.
**Did you know?**
There are now believed to be less than 3,000 pairs breeding annually in the UK compared to nearly 45,000 greater spotted woodpeckers.
There is always a helping hand available in Meadowshire Woods in this composite image from Meadowshire Studio. A local fairy assists a fledgling bird in it's first flight.
This was done with oil pastels in a technique known as Sgrafitto, as part of a 100 day challenge on Instagram. I scratched the black paint off with a chop stick. Worked like a treat, so I'm planning a bigger piece with that technique.
Quick, random Halloween themed doodle that features a bunch of wacky animals being carried by a candy corn shirt wearing dog. Well, not all of them. (the bird and bug're flying)
Bird feeders r a gr8 deal of fun for about a month. Then u start seeing the accumulation of bird doo & various other unsanitary bird debris... & i gotta say much of it is not easy to clean. So perhaps this is the next best solution? And in case u didn't catch the bonus fun there are a few S-crows; A Mynah Bird [Miner]; An actually Shuttlecock; a Dove Bar, a flying Bird of Paradise & a bouncy hungry Rubber Chicken.
An illustrated map of Nicaragua featuring Volcán Concepción of Ometepe and some of the country's most iconic wildlife: spider monkey, jaguar, and motmot bird.
An illustrated map of Costa Rica featuring the Arenal Volcano with some of the country's most iconic wildlife species: toucan, tree frog, and hummingbird.
