For the first of our autumn evening talks, we welcomed Linda and Ken Smith to the Victoria Baptist Church Hall.

These small woodpeckers are a scarce and declining species. However, Ken explained how new ways of detecting and monitoring their presence is increasing our understanding of their abundance in Sussex.

In the last three years Passive Acoustic Monitoring has revolutionised how these birds can be detected. The technique uses small programmable sound recorders that can be left in suitable woodland habitats unattended for long periods. The recordings are then analysed for the calls and drums of these small woodpeckers.

Wet broadleaved woodlands are their preferred habitat and of the 33 such sites surveyed in Sussex to date 23 revealed the presence of Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers. It is good to know that there are more of these elusive birds in Sussex than was previously thought.

Find out more about the Eastbourne Regional Group and how to join, HERE