Great Spotted Woodpeckers

Eoghan Barra

Does anyone have any idea in which counties Great Spotted Woodpeckers are established?

And, a more difficult question, what kind of rate are they spreading around the country at? I presume the latter is largely dependent on how plentiful their habitat (mixed oak woodland?) is from place to place.

Birdnuts

Appear to be breeding or at least present in all East coast Counties. Slowly spreading inland with reports from Kildare and Meath in recent years.

Eoghan Barra

Thanks Birdnuts.

Am I right in thinking that mixed oak woodland is their preferred habitat?

Birdnuts

Eoghan Barra wrote: »

Thanks Birdnuts.

Am I right in thinking that mixed oak woodland is their preferred habitat?

In this country certainly - densities are highest where there is a good supply of dead and dieing trees for nesting and feeding.

robp

Birdnuts wrote: »

Appear to be breeding or at least present in all East coast Counties. Slowly spreading inland with reports from Kildare and Meath in recent years.

I regularly watch the records come in on the online database and I have seen records very far west like in Fermanagh but only occasionally. I don't understand it as they are very conspicuous animals with their pecking. I wonder are they misidentifications or just rogue woodpeckers exploring.

robp

Eoghan Barra wrote: »

Thanks Birdnuts.

Am I right in thinking that mixed oak woodland is their preferred habitat?

They seem to be doing well in Wicklow's oak woodlands. Some have suggested suburban gardens have played an important role too but I don't know if this is verified. Elsewhere in Europe they can use pure coniferous plantains but this is not preferred.

There is a bit of desert of oakwoods and suburban gardens in west Leinster so I wonder will we see a colonisation slowdown, or maybe we already have.

Eoghan Barra

robp wrote: »

They seem to be doing well in Wicklow's oak woodlands. Some have suggested suburban gardens have played an important role too but I don't know if this is verified. Elsewhere in Europe they can use pure coniferous plantains but this is not preferred.

There is a bit of desert of oakwoods and suburban gardens in west Leinster so I wonder will we see a colonisation slowdown, or maybe we already have.

Very interesting, robp.

I wonder to what extent - i.e. distance - they are able to leap-frog less suitable areas to colonise isolated or far-flung fragments of favourable habitat.

The fact that they have arrived in Ireland from the U.K. at all suggests an ability to establish themselves fairly far away from an already inhabited area, though I suppose that must be balanced by the (presumed) fact that population densities in the U.K. must be significantly higher than on our east coast (?).

Desmo

robp wrote: »

I regularly watch the records come in on the online database and I have seen records very far west like in Fermanagh but only occasionally. I don't understand it as they are very conspicuous animals with their pecking. I wonder are they misidentifications or just rogue woodpeckers exploring.

The record from Fermanagh was from Crom Castle/Estate which has a lot of mature trees and some decent deciduous woodland. It is perfect woodpecker habitat. It was probably a young bird exploring. One was reported there early last year but I have not heard of it since. There have been isolated records of single birds all over the east coast in places like Killiney, Cabinteely, Kilruddery and the Phoenix Park. The main breeding sites are usually kept a bit quiet. In due course, they are likely to turn up in parks and gardens all over the country and the drumming certainly attracts attention.

robp

Eoghan Barra wrote: »

Very interesting, robp.
though I suppose that must be balanced by the (presumed) fact that population densities in the U.K. must be significantly higher than on our east coast (?).

I would think so too. Even taking into account they have three species over there.

Desmo wrote: »

The record from Fermanagh was from Crom Castle/Estate which has a lot of mature trees and some decent deciduous woodland. It is perfect woodpecker habitat. It was probably a young bird exploring. One was reported there early last year but I have not heard of it since. There have been isolated records of single birds all over the east coast in places like Killiney, Cabinteely, Kilruddery and the Phoenix Park. The main breeding sites are usually kept a bit quiet. In due course, they are likely to turn up in parks and gardens all over the country and the drumming certainly attracts attention.

All over the Lough Erne region there is many broadleafs. I hope it can support many birds.

Capercaille

31 definite breeding sites in Republic this year. All 27 occupied nests found this year were in Co. Wicklow. A juvenile in south Co. Dublin and an adult carrying food in Co. Louth indicate that breeding took place in those Counties this year. GSW were present or holding territory in at least 15 other locations in Louth, Wicklow, Carlow, Laois, Cavan, Monaghan, Wexford and Kilkenny. Nearly all nests were in oaks, but some were in Birch, Scots Pine, Beech and Larch. Highly sedentary by nature the woodpeckers spread is slow.
The GSW are from the highly sedentary British population. How they arrived is a mystery. Initially the GSW in Ireland were thought to have come from the more mobile Scandinavian population, but DNA analysis from feathers show they are derived from Britain.

swifts need our help!

I hope tits have read about the invasion

Birdnuts

swifts need our help! wrote: »

I hope tits have read about the invasion

Good point - alot of hole nesting woodland species will benefit as the GSW population increases

WildIreland

I have a feature article about the influx of GSW into Ireland in an upcoming edition of Bird Watching magazine -- will also be posting it to the Ireland's Wildlife website once it's out in print -- will post a link on this thread as soon as it's up.

Desmo

swifts need our help! wrote: »

I hope tits have read about the invasion

Because they will get preyed upon? Woodpeckers do eat chicks of woodland birds.

Dindsenchas

Desmo wrote: »

Because they will get preyed upon? Woodpeckers do eat chicks of woodland birds.

Yeah,I saw this on BBC's Springwatch last year;a woodpecker plucking a young blue tit out of its nestbox!

robp

Dindsenchas wrote: »

Yeah,I saw this on BBC's Springwatch last year;a woodpecker plucking a young blue tit out of its nestbox!

They eat many things. In central Europe where woodpeckers are most common song birds coexist in high diversity.

I hope their a boom to rarer hole nesters woodland birds and bats.

Eoghan Barra

It's great to see one of the species that became extinct in Ireland coming back - especially under its own steam!

dannylawes

New sightings as far west as Derry, Donegal and Fermanagh

Woodville56

Also lucky enough here to have had GSW sightings in consecutive years (2014-2015) in deciduous woodland in Co. Longford !

dannylawes

Woodville56 wrote: »

Also lucky enough here to have had GSW sightings in consecutive years (2014-2015) in deciduous woodland in Co. Longford !

That's great news. It would be great to see some photos on this thread.