There is a fascinating article on Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers in the March Bird Watching magazine. It is said to require as much suitable woodland as five hundred pairs of Blue Tits: 740 ha in winter and 100 in summer. The female abandons the male before the chicks are fed - an evolutionary gamble- , which reduces survival of chicks. The expansion of Great Spotted Woodpeckers has led to increased predation of isolated pairs.
The hope is that " remaining wooded landscapes stay connected, varied and food-rich". Planting fine-branched willows, alders and birches would create refuges where Lesser Spots can forage with less competition.
There was an enjoyable episode of 'Death in Paradise' last night where a bird watcher gets murdered. The tour leader admitted that the target bird was extinct but to continue to get punters he occasionally claimed to get glimpses! Worth looking at from 'On Demand'.