Anja Murray: The return of woodpeckers is a cause for celebration

True to their exceptional nature, woodpeckers' remarkable comeback gives us a glimpse into the potential for ecological recovery, a nudge to remind us that when woodlands return, their wild residents are often able to recover lost ground too

The great spotted woodpecker (dendrocopos major) was likely common across Ireland once — it was referred to in early Irish medieval poetry. As woodlands were cleared for agriculture and iron smelting, woodpeckers would have found themselves increasingly homeless and hungry. It is thought they probably became extinct as a breeding species during the 17th or 18th centuries.

Last week a friend with a workshop in Wicklow told me they heard a woodpecker thrumming on a tree nearby. I had understood woodpeckers only do this drumming during spring and summer, when prospecting for a mate, claiming territory, and when making a new nest hole. Evidently, I was wrong. Woodpeckers, the percussionists of the bird world, are happy to tap out a rhythm at any time of year, even, occasionally, in the heart of winter.

Woodpeckers are still a novelty here in Ireland. The great spotted woodpecker was likely common across Ireland once — it was referred to in early Irish medieval poetry. As woodlands were cleared for agriculture and iron smelting, woodpeckers would have found themselves increasingly homeless and hungry. It is thought they probably became extinct as a breeding species during the 17th or 18th centuries.