Overseas visitor the woodpecker a welcome guest

SIGHTINGS of the great spotted woodpecker were once rare in Ireland. However, there’s now clear evidence that the bird is not only breeding here, but is spreading around the country from its original base in the east coast.

Scientific studies at UCD have confirmed that the birds almost certainly came across the Irish Sea from Britain where the woodpecker population has increased by around 400% in the past 40 years. The bird is known to be travel-shy, but pressure of numbers may well have forced young British woodpeckers to fly here in search of breeding territories.

In an age when many species are struggling to survive, this is a positive nature story. Groups such as BirdWatch Ireland are enthusiastic about helping the newcomer, which is about the size of a blackbird.