If you go to the woods today... keep an ear out!

BirdWatch Ireland have been asking for the public’s help to track and monitor the spread of these lovely birds.

A scarce but increasing breed in Ireland, the Great Spotted Woodpecker is beginning to make an appearance in Cavan if this footage obtained by The Anglo-Celt is anything to go by.

Local nature enthusiasts and ornithologists alike will be thrilled with the discovery of the bird which only began colonising these shores less than a decade and a half ago.

About the same size as Mistle Thrush, the Great Spotted Woodpecker has a distinctive black and white plumage. Its face, throat and underparts are white, while the back, rump and tail are black. They also, according to BirdWatch Ireland, have a large white patch at the base of the wings, while the vent is pale red.

Adult male Great Spotted Woodpeckers meanwhile are identifiable by a small red patch on the back of the head. Adult females have a black nape and crown.

The sighting (or hearing), last month, caught on video by a reader and supplied to this newspaper occurred at Castle Saunderson near Belturbet, which locals also reporting hearing the distinctive tapping of the beak on wood in the nearby Drumalee area.

The drums, which can generally be heard from early Spring onwards, last between one and two seconds in duration.

A common species in Britain and Continental Europe, colonises were initially identified in Antrim, believed to have travelled across the Irish Sea from Wales, but have also been heard and seen in Wicklow.

BirdWatch Ireland have been asking for the public’s help to track and monitor the spread of these lovely birds.