Great spotted woodpecker calling

The drumming of the Great Spotted Woodpecker is one of the most evocative of spring, instantly recognisable. Learning to recognise another call, which woodpeckers use in flight, and when perched atop a tree, a sharp, loud ‘tchick’, repeated at regular intervals, allows you to detect the bird year-round. During this autumn, I have watched several woodpeckers, often males, using this call. In autumn and winter, there are territorial disputes are often in relation to roosting holes. This individual called from a tall dead branch in an urban park in Hull, where the Great Spotted Woodpecker is becoming a regular resident.