September’s birds of the month: woodland bird songs and ID tips

Short, sharp ‘kick’ call, similar to Great Spotted Woodpecker’s. In late winter and spring, males drum on trees, not as powerfully as the Great Spotted.

• About the size of a House Sparrow, so fairly small
• Black and white barred plumage on back and wings
• Males have a red crown; females black
• No red on belly, as with Great Spotted Woodpecker
• Has a bouncy, undulating flight

Woodland, especially Alder, in southern-central England and Wales is now their main stronghold. RSPB nature reserves where you might see them include Highnam Woods and Nagshead, Gloucestershire, and Blean Woods in Kent.

Hard. There are not many Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers in the UK, so you have less chance of tracking one down than some of our more numerous species.

Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers have declined significantly since the 1980s, with a 41% contraction of its breeding season range from 1968–72 to 2008–11. They are on the UK’s Red List of Birds of Conservation Concern and a Priority Conservation Species for the RSPB. The declines appear to be linked to chicks not surviving to adulthood, specifically chicks not having enough food. 

Our conservation work is now focused on identifying how to ensure that Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers have enough food to successfully raise their chicks. Whether that’s down to mature trees, wetter habitat conditions in woodlands or another factor, our work will continue to pinpoint how conservation work can be targeted to help them.

A short, loud, repeated ‘chip, chip’. In winter and spring, you can hear the males drumming fast on dead wood, with the sound carrying a long way.

• About the size of a Blackbird, but more slender
• Black, white and red plumage (on belly)
• Males have a red patch on the back of the head
• Juveniles have a red crown
• Bouncy, undulating flight

In deciduous woods, gardens and parks in England, Wales, Scotland and parts of Northern Ireland. You’ll find them at many RSPB woodland nature reserves, such as The Lodge, Bedfordshire; Lochwinnoch, Renfrewshire; and Coombes Valley, Staffordshire.

Easy-moderate. Get familiar with its ‘chip, chip’ call and you will be alerted to its presence as it flies overhead.

With well over 100,000 pairs in the UK and a range expanding northwards in Scotland and now in Northern Ireland, the Great Spotted Woodpecker is on the green list of the Birds of Conservation Concern. General management of our woodland nature reserves ensures it has plenty of places to thrive.

Sounds like it’s laughing at you, as notes descend the scale

• The largest of the UK’s woodpeckers
• Green plumage, with a yellow rump and red patch on head
• The black ‘moustache’ has a red centre in males
• Laughing, descending call
• Bouncing, undulating flight

In woods, parks, grassy areas and sometimes gardens. Found across England, Wales and parts of Scotland, but not in Ireland. RSPB nature reserves where you might spot one include The Lodge, Bedfordshire, and Chapel Wood in Devon.

Easy-moderate. Familiarise yourself with its laughing call and there will be no mistaking it.

The Green Woodpecker is on the green list of the Birds of Conservation Concern, meaning it is needing the least help. However, it declined by 33% from 2013 to 2023, according to Breeding Bird Survey data.

Its alarm is a series of ‘teck’ notes and it will hiss if startled. Its song is a series of notes that sound a bit like a bird of prey.

• A little larger than a sparrow
• Appears greyish overall, with brown and buff mottling
• Look out for a contrasting dark band running from the back of the head onto the back
• They are seen mainly on the ground, feeding on ants, and do not often climb up vertical trunks or branches

On grassland usually in the east of the UK as it migrates in the autumn.

Hard – some years there are more reports of Wrynecks than others.

The Wryneck was once a breeding bird in the UK, but now it is usually only seen when it is passing through on migration in spring and autumn between Scandinavia and Africa. As it is no longer a breeding species here, it doesn’t have a rating in the Birds of Conservation Concern list.

A series of whistles, with a gap, then on repeat.

• A plump bird about the size of a Great Tit that resembles a small Woodpecker
• Blue-grey on top and whitish below, with chestnut on its sides and under its tail
• It has a black stripe on its head, a long black pointed bill and short legs
• Listen for its series of whistles from the woodland canopy

In woodland across England, Wales and parts of southern Scotland. Absent from Ireland. RSPB nature reserves where you might see them include The Lodge, Bedfordshire; Fore Wood, East Sussex; and Baron’s Haugh in North Lanarkshire. They will also visit gardens, especially in the winter.

Easy-moderate. The population has been increasing over the past 50 years, meaning you are more likely to come across one now.

With a 291% increase between 1967 and 2023, the Nuthatch is on the green list of Birds of Conservation Concern, meaning it is not in need of conservation help at the moment. Management of our woodland nature reserves means it has the optimum conditions to thrive.

A high-pitched ‘tsee, tsee, tsee’ call, with its song high-pitched with a little flourish

• A small, mouse-like, very active bird
• It has a long, slender, downcurved bill, which it uses to pluck insects from underneath bark
• It's speckly brown above and mainly white below, with it looking pale overall
• Spirals up tree trunks, before flying down to the bottom of another

In woodland across the UK.

Moderate – there are plenty there, but they are quite secretive and often go unnoticed.

With over 200,000 territories in the UK, these birds are on the green list of Birds of Conservation Concern, meaning they need the least help. However, general management of our woodland nature reserves ensures they can thrive there.