Woodpecker Network is supporting the Hampshire Ornithological Society to conduct a survey of Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers in Hampshire during 2022 to establish just how important the county is for this declining species. It starts now - would you like to help?
The key aim of the project is to survey Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers in a randomly selected sample of 1km squares across Hampshire using standard and repeatable methods. In this way we can establish a good baseline to allow future monitoring of the species. The selection of squares to survey is based on sites with records of Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers over the last 10 years. The same methods are being used both within the New Forest and elsewhere in the county although the numbers of squares surveyed will be higher within the Forest.
All the details, including available survey squares, survey instructions and recording forms, along with a map of the selected 1km square, can be downloaded and printed from the survey website at http://hantslesserspots.birdsurvey.org.uk/ Please help if you can
If you do not live in Hampshire but would like to help Woodpecker Network, please go out now to look for Lesser Spots in your area and send any sightings together with location details (grid reference) to Ken and Linda Smith via Woodpecker Network website email (or via Twitter @LesserSpotNet). All results will be held in confidence and agregated to area level. If you prefer not to send exact details, location to 1Km square level, eg SU8507 is OK.
