The Lesser-spotted Woodpecker in Suffolk .............................Steve Noble

A female Lesser-spotted Woodpecker at Santon Downham in January 2015, proving that the species still exists in Suffolk - but only just

Steve Noble

The Lesser-spotted Woodpecker in Suffolk

The comment in Suffolk Birds 2013 that there “there may well be less than five breeding pairs left in Suffolk” seems to be unduly pessimistic. My own experience is that this unobtrusive species is generally only seen through chance encounters and, while it has clearly suffered a catastrophic decline in recent years, I would argue that a significant number are probably still being missed. None, for example, were reported at all in the well-watched southeast recording area of Suffolk in 2009, yet we know they were there since they were reported in subsequent years. Again, none were recorded in the Orwell Estuary area in 2004, and yet there are several records since. There are also significant swathes of the county that receive very little coverage from birders, and while some sightings can perhaps be put down to chance encounters with wandering individuals, it is also likely that some are indicative of resident birds that have simply remained undiscovered. As far as I am aware, there is also no information on the relationship between the level of reporting and the actual population size. We can, for example, surmise that numbers have declined if the numbers of reports have declined, but we do not know what percentage of the population is being reported at any one time. Even when the species was not uncommon, how many were being seen and/or reported? With obvious species such as swans, it is relatively easy to come up with a population figure