Woodpeckers Uncovered: The Fascinating Lives of Britain's Iconic Woodland Birds

Hello and welcome to this week's Wildlife Matters podcast. I'm your host, Nigel Palmer.

We return to London for the Clean Water March in this week's Wildlife Matters podcast. And in our main feature, we'll discuss the iconic woodland bird species, the woodpeckers. One of the main elements of the weather is the feature in this week's A Wildlife Matters Mindful Moment where we will be listening to the wind. And in this week's Nature News.

As I said, we're back to London for the Clean Water March and we have a story of yet another fox hunter being found guilty of assault and a Devon vet who's been struck off due to falsifying bovine TB cattle tests. All that is coming up next in this week's Wildlife Matters Nature.

Hello and welcome to this week's Wildlife Matters Nature News, where we start with the march for clean water that took place in London last weekend. Thousands of campaigners protested in London on Sunday against the for quality of water in the uk. The March for Clean Water, organised by River Action and led by Chris Packham, attracted an estimated 15,000 people. Protesters demanded immediate action from Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to address pollution in our rivers, lakes and seas.

Nature broadcaster Chris Packham, who attended the march, stated that Britain's rivers are among the worst in Europe. He added, but I'm hopeful because we know what needs to be done and we have the technologies to fix it. We need to convince our new government to act more rapidly. And Clean Water campaigner Fergal Sharkey told Wildlife Matters, we call on the government to end the environmental devastation inflicted upon our rivers, lakes and seas. It stops here. It stops today. It stops now.

End pollution. End polluting for profit. The government must order an urgent, comprehensive review of the failed oversight and regulation of the water industry. It is time to hold accountable those industries that have been allowed to knowingly and willfully pollute our waters. Driven by profit and greed, we call on everyone in the country concerned or angry about the state of our waters to join us and march.

Hugh Fernley Whittingstall invited the public to join him and others in London on Sunday to demand that the government clean up rivers and beaches that are fundamental to the quality of our lives. The rally featured various environmental groups, including. Greenpeace and the Wildlife Trust. Demonstrators waved blue flags and carried signs with messages like Stop the plop and Cut the Crap. Olympic rower Imogen Grant expressed her concerns about the declining condition of rivers over the years.

Highlighting her personal experiences with pollution during her training, Imogen told Wildlife Matters. I spend hours on the water training every day in rowing boats and seeing nappies floating by plastic bags and scum along the pontoons we train on is just not good enough and something needs to change, she said.

Giles Bristow, the chief executive of the campaign group Surfers Against Sewage, led the march from Albert Embankment in Boxall to Parliament Square with banners reading Stop poisoning Britain's waterways and Cut the crap, Save Our Rivers. Behind him, thousands of protesters clad mainly in blue, many carrying the multicolour flags of the climate activist movement. Extinction rebellion followed, dancing to samba bands and waving homemade placards, Bristow told Wildlife Matters.

We have been campaigning for over 30 years now, in fact nearly 35, to end pollution in our waters because we're fed up with trying to enjoy our natural blue spaces while they're being polluted right in front of our eyes. So we're joining in because it's a march for clean water and we're saying it's time to cut the crap. We've got to sort out this situation.

And Charles Watson, the founder and director of the charity River Action and the event's lead organizer, told Wildlife Matters, one of the key demands of this march is that the idea that it can be profitable to pollute must stop. Laws need to be enforced and to enforce those laws, the bodies tasked with that responsibility must be reformed. They must be dismantled, restructured and most importantly, properly funded.

The campaign called for a thorough review of water regulators and stricter enforcement of environmental laws to protect Britain's waterways.

Our second story on this week's Wildlife Matters Nature News is of a huntsman convicted of assault for striking an animal rights activist with his riding crop. Mark Marshall Ferguson was on horseback when he approached the female victim from behind during a confrontation between hunt members and anti hunt protesters in Market Harborough. The 49 year old defendant, Skeffington, east of Leicester, was part of a hunting. Party in a field off Clipston Road.

When the incident happened in October 2019. Northamptonshire Police said tempers had flared between the two groups, which eventually led to violence. Ferguson rode towards a female member of the anti hunk group and pulled her up by the back of her collar before striking her on the head with his riding crop. The woman suffered a laceration to her head and bruising to her neck and the force of the attack knocked her to the ground.

The defendant had denied the charge but was convicted of assault and one count of criminal damage. Following a trial held at Northampton Magistrates Court earlier this month, an investigation into the incident incident was launched and Ferguson was charged with abh, actual bodily harm and criminal damage. Ferguson pleaded not guilty to both offenses. When he appeared before magistrates following this conviction, he was ordered to pay a total of £2,125 in fines and costs.

PC Chloe Gillis, Rural crime officer for the Northamptonshire force, welcomed the Corps decisions and that such behavior was unacceptable and that his victim was lucky to have not been more seriously injured. I am pleased that Mark Ferguson was found guilty of these offences at court as this behavior is unacceptable, she said. Ferguson's actions here could have had far more serious consequences for the victim's sake. And I'm pleased they didn't, Added PC Gillis.

There is never an excuse to assault.

Someone and Northamptonshire police will always, always pursue a criminal action against any offender and our third story is that of a Devon Vet Struck off for Dishonest Certification of cattle tests the RCBS disciplinary committee has struck off Brian Cullen Bowles for jeopardizing public health by dishonestly certifying cattle test results. He faced a total of four charges but did not respond to the hearing notification, leading the committee to proceed in his absence.

The first charge involved Bowles conducting interdermal comparative tuberculin or ICT tests on cattle in 2020 without adequately measuring skin thickness. He admitted to not following standard procedures, but the charge was proven. The second charge concerned his certification of these inaccurate test results, which the committee also found proven.

The third charge concerned his dishonest and misleading conduct which undermined government testing procedures, and the final charge noted that he had previously been warned and retrained for non compliance. The committee deemed charges one to three professional severe misconduct while charged four, although serious, did not independently constitute it.

The committee then decided on his removal from the Register, citing his disregard for testing procedures and RCBS certified certification requirement. They highlighted multiple aggravating factors including human and animal health risks and Vol's lack of integrity. Although he had not gained financially and had a long career, his repeated non compliance and dishonesty warranted his striking off as the committee expressed concern about the likelihood of his future conduct.

Now this is a very difficult case. Anyone losing their professional career is of course a very challenging situation, but this. Guy had repeatedly committed the same falsification. Of the tests and this is vital. Because these cattle are then either sent to slaughter because they have bovine TB. Or they are cleared and left in a herd which if they do have the will just keep reinfecting the herd and encourage more people to want to see more badgers culled, which we know is not the answer.

And people like this vet who you would have thought would have been trusted are actually letting down not only the. Farmers, the cattle, the badgers, the system. But also all of us, the general public. So I think it is the right thing that this guy was removed for the register for everybody's best interests. And that has been this week's Wildlife Matters Nature News.

I'm pleased that more prosecutions are being pursued against hunters, particularly those exhibiting a violent tendencies, because such behavior should be a massive red flag regarding their future conduct. Also, we were planning to return to the Grand Union Canal in West London, where swans and other water birds have died from an unknown cause.

The Animal and Plant health agency, or APhA, is investigating the situation, but there have been no updates in the past two weeks since we first discussed the issue on the Wildlife Matters podcast. But do rest assured that we will be back there as soon as there is some more information to tell you about.

Now, let's take some time to spend some mindful moments in nature this week. Instead of focusing on a bird, a mammal or an amphibian, we're exploring one of the fundamental elements of our weather. Weather often dominates conversations here in the uk, and this year has been no exception. We had another mild, wet and windy spring followed by a rainy summer, but today our attention is on the wind. This audio clip I recorded on a June day.

I wasn't on one of the Scottish islands, an exposed Welsh hill, or even an Irish coastline. I was in the south of England at a well known RSPB nature reserve. The experience reminded me of a beautiful. Poem by Anne Bronte that I'd like to share with you now. My soul is awakened and my spirit is soaring and carried aloft on the wings of the breeze. For above and around me the wild wind is roaring, arousing to rapture the earth and the seas. The long withered grass in the sunshine is glancing.

The bare trees are tossing their branches on high, the dead leaves beneath them are merrily dancing. The white clouds are scudding across the blue sky. I wish I could see how the ocean is lashing the foam of its billows to whirlwinds of spray. I wish I could see how its proud waves are dashing and hear the wild roar of the thunder. Today. I hope you enjoyed listening to the wind roaring through the woodland on the edge of a Sussex valley with those lakes at the bottom.

I remember how good it felt to return to the cafe that day and enjoy some homemade soup and a bread roll. It's like an autumn day Wrapped up in the middle of summer.

Now it's time for this week's Wildlife Matters a main feature. And we are looking at the iconic native woodland bird species that are the woodpeckers. And hello and welcome back to this. Week'S Wildlife Matters main feature. And today we are talking woodpeckers. Yeah. In Britain, we actually have three species of true woodpecker and one distant cousin whose numbers have decreased as our climate changes.

Woodpeckers are fascinating and beautiful birds that many of us might have heard drumming away in the woodlands or seen feeding on nuts from our bird feeders in the garden. Now let's take a look at the three woodpecker species from the Piccinae sub family that are found in Britain. They are the great spotted woodpecker, the lesser spotted woodpecker and the green woodpecker. Firstly, and generally, the most seen species is the great spotted woodpecker, which is Dendrocopus A. Major.

The great spotted woodpecker has recently been attracted more to our gardens with bird feeders. Great spotted woodpeckers have a black cap, white cheeks with black lines underneath and a red patch on their underbelly. Mature male birds have a red patch on the back of their heads, which the females and juvenile birds do not. Great spotted woodpeckers have thick and powerful beaks and their wings are black with white spots. As a guide, they are slightly smaller than a blackbird.

Great spotted woodpeckers feed on insects, using their powerful beaks to hammer holes in tree bark to extract beetle larvae, along with their their long and flexible tongues. In spring, they will eat caterpillars, adult beetles, spiders and smaller birds. Chicks and eggs, nuts and seeds are an essential food source, particularly in the autumn and early winter. The beak of the great spotted woodpecker plays a crucial role in its breeding behavior.

Male woodpeckers use it to drum against dead trees, making a loud sound which is to claim their territory and warn off any other potential rivals. Both male and female woodpeckers use their beaks to dig a nesting cavity deep inside a tree. And once the cavity is ready, they will lay four to six eggs. Eggs, usually during March and April. After around two weeks of incubation, the eggs will hatch and the chicks will spend just over three weeks inside the nest before they fledge.

The great spotted woodpecker can be found throughout England, Scotland and Wales. It is primarily found in broadleaf woodlands where birch trees are a particular favorite. However, it can also be found in coniferous forests with mature trees. The lesser spotted woodpecker is significantly smaller than its cousin and it's around the same size as a house sparrow. They have a short but powerful beak and black and white head, black wings with white bars on the back and a white breast again.

The males have red caps on the backs of their heads, which are absent in both females and juvenile birds. Lesser swatted woodpeckers feed primarily on insects and invertebrates. Their strong beaks allow them to peck into dead and rotting wood and eat the beetle larvae that live within. They will also take aphids and other insects from branches and tree trunks. During nesting time, lesser spotted woodpeckers drum on trees to declare their territory and to warn off rivals.

Similar to their larger cousins, they raise their chicks in holes within old trees, although other animals or birds may have created the holes. And typically they will lay around four to six eggs, which will hatch after approximately two weeks. Again, the chicks will remain in the nest for roughly three weeks before they are ready to fledge. Tragically, the lesser spotted woodpecker is one of the fastest declining woodland bird species in the uk.

It's a concerning trend that we should all be aware of, as they have declined by 73% on average since the turn of the century. Unlike the other woodpeckers in Britain, the Picus viridis, commonly known as the green woodpecker, is not black or white, but is green. The green woodpecker also differs from its cousins as both males and females have the red cap on the back of their heads, but the males have a red streak below their cheeks, which is the best way to identify them.

The green woodpecker is pretty unmistakable. Its wings are dark green with a paler breast and a yellow rump that is evident in flight. The green woodpeckers unique feeding habits are. A sight to behold. It primarily feeds on ants, probing into the ground with its powerful beak and sucking them up with its long and sticky tongue. And they will take other invertebrates, particularly beetles and worms that they find in the grass and soil.

Like the other woodpeckers in the uk, green woodpeckers nest in holes in trees that both the male and females excavate together, using their powerful beaks to chip into the wood, often over a few weeks. They will then lay four to six egg, which hatch after around three weeks, and the chicks will fledge after a similar period. Green woodpeckers have a distinctive dipping flight pattern and their call, which sounds like laughing, is known as a yaffle.

Woodpeckers are native to Britain and all species, including the green woodpecker, Drum. Contrary to earlier belief that woodpeckers have shock absorbing tissues between their beaks and skulls, scientists have now discovered that the woodpecker head and beak remains solid. When a woodpecker drills its beak into a tree, it resembles a nail hammered into the surface. Woodpeckers have a concussion rate that is nine times higher than human beings.

Despite their high impact rate and because of their brain's position and size, they do not suffer brain damage from their drumming. Both male and female woodpeckers will drum, but males do so mainly between January and June and it's to establish territories and warn off other males. And woodpeckers are caring parents. They both take turns incubating their eggs and keeping their young warm.

Once they have hatched, they continue to feed their fledglings for the first one or two weeks after they have left their nest. The lesser spotted woodpecker population has been sharply declining for many years as they have not adapted well to garden feeders or their larger cousins. However, the high death rate of young great spotted woodpeckers, mainly due to them flying into glass patios and sliding doors, is of concern.

The great spotted woodpecker population has increased by more than 300% since the 1970s and this is probably due to the increased standing devices wood caused by things such as Dutch elm disease and the increased availability of food in gardens. The great spotted woodpecker is also responsible for the decline of the lesser spotted woodpecker as they prey on their smaller cousins.

Great spotted woodpeckers will also prey on marsh and willow tits and their young in spring and are cited as a reason for the decline in both of these species as well. I mentioned earlier that there was a fourth woodpecker species that some people considered in the uk, that is the Eurasian Orionek which was once a breeding species mainly in the south and east of England.

But today Ryneks are mainly migrant birds seen in the spring and autumn across their former ranges in the east and south of England and interestingly in the north of Scotland. Rhineks are around the size of a lesser spotted woodpecker and have a mottled brown and grey coloring. They are perhaps best known for their distinctive behavior of twisting and turning their necks which mimic a snake when they feel threatened and that has been Wildlife Matters.

Look into the woodpecker species that you can find here in the UK and has been this week's Wildlife Matters main feature. Who knew that woodpeckers could be so fascinating? While these birds share many similarities, each species has its own unique trait niches and habitats. My interest in writing about woodpeckers was sparked after I led a walk in the Sussex woodland with a group of young people from Inner London. During our walk, we heard a woodpecker. Drumming in a nearby tree and we.

Were fortunate enough to be able to. See a greater spotted woodpecker, which seemed. Unbothered by our presence. Along with the rest of the group, we took several pictures and I even recorded some audio and video. At the end of the walk, I asked the group to share their favorite memories from the day and the woodpecker appeared in most of them. It was a couple of weeks later we received some pictures from some of. The young people who had joined us. That day, whilst others had written poems.

And stories about the woods. But two students had sent us an audio file. When we listened, it contained an incredible drum and bass track, perfectly mimicking the woodpeckers drumming on the tree, and they've made the whole track on their home computers based on their memories of the woodpecker that day. How incredible. Nature really does have the power to inspire creativity.

I cherish that track and all the stories, poems and pictures we receive after our woodland walks that are all inspired by nature.

I do hope you've enjoyed today's Wildlife Matters podcast. If you did, please follow us to ensure that you never miss an episode and leave us a review. Wherever you listen to your podcasts, your review helps the algorithm direct more people to discover our humble little podcast. Many more people are joining us on the YouTube channel, and if you haven't found us over there yet, please do subscrib subscribe the next time you visit, as we will soon launch our new series of vlogs.

And as always, thank you for taking the time to listen to us today. We appreciate each and every one of you. Wildlife Matters will return in two weeks, but until then, stay safe, wild ones. I've been your host, Nigel Palmer, and this is Wildlife Matters signing off.