My New Year’s resolution is to try and be more positive about the future - but I already feel like banging my head repeatedly against a tree. Standing out in the street this morning, I heard a noise that reassured me that I’m not alone.

The drumming of the Great Spotted Woodpecker is a familiar sound throughout February, surely earning this striking black and white bird the reputation as one of Britain’s most famous drummers along with Ringo Starr and Phil Collins.

The bird’s drumming serves an important function because the Great Spotted Woodpecker realises it can’t sing and doesn’t attempt to. Sadly, the same can’t be said for Ringo Starr and Phil Collins. Instead, its drumroll is a percussive proclamation that hammers home the message to other male woodpeckers to stay away from its territory in the treetops. It also serves to drum up support from female woodpeckers in the vicinity who may be looking for a pied partner.

This ‘song’ may not be as sweet as the melodies sung by the Robin or Blackbird but it still gets its message across. Indeed, the drumming can carry the bird’s message across half a mile of countryside, with a male broadcasting up to 600 drumrolls a day. Each drumroll consists of up to 10-16 beats, typically in a one second burst.

Of course, if I did attempt to take my frustrations out on a tree in a similar way, I’d suffer some form of concussion - but woodpeckers are specially designed to avoid this by having shock absorbent tissue between the base of their bill and their strengthened skulls to cushion the impact.

Their incredible beak is more than just a drumstick, it’s also a pickaxe which allows them to chip away at trunks to excavate their own nest hole; and a chisel with which the woodpecker prises open tree bark to find food. That mighty beak is a formidable weapon too, which sends other birds on the peanut feeder scarpering pretty sharpish.

And Great Spotted Woodpeckers are becoming more greatly spotted, as it is a British bird which is actually increasing in numbers. The pecker’s population leapt in the seventies and nineties, with some estimates stating they have increased by 300% over the past five decades. The availability of dead wood thanks to Dutch Elm Disease and the availability of peanuts thanks to British bird lovers being among of the reasons for this increase.

See, I ended the article on a positive note, maybe I won’t break my New Year’s resolution after all. Well done to me, I’m feeling upbeat about the future. Now to put the kettle on, put my feet up, and turn on the news…

By Michael Blencowe:Learning & Engagement Officer, Sussex Wildlife Trust.
Sussex Wildlife Trust is an independent registered charity caring for wildlife and habitats throughout Sussex. It’s easy to join online at: www.sussexwildlifetrust.org.uk/join

Great Spotted Woodpecker Darin Smith Sussex Wildlife Trust