This spring, the Lost Woods team and volunteers have been supporting the Woodpecker Network on an innovative survey to search for the declining Lesser Spotted Woodpecker in Sussex. Building on last year’s community observations, the 2026 survey uses new passive audio recording techniques developed by Sussex birdwatchers Ken and Linda Smith. Small recorders are fixed to trees and left to capture woodland sounds over several days, with specialist software helping to identify potential woodpecker calls and drumming for expert verification. After weeks of surveying some of the wettest woodlands in the area and listening through plenty of false alarms, the team made an exciting discovery: recordings of the distinctive drumming of a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker at a site near Ditchling.

Dedicated volunteers from The Friends of Eastern Road Nature Reserve found evidence of Hazel Dormice after months of surveying and monitoring.

We've been teaming up with local community groups to help spread the word about bats, which rely on woodlands to hunt and roost. Michael from the Lost Woods team explains more in his blog.