It's the RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch week-end and I'll be taking part in the annual one-hour survey tomorrow (because I have footballing duties today). My back garden is a bit of a wreck at the moment, awaiting a nature-friendly make-over in the spring, so I'll probably head to the local park to do my spotting and bird census. There, if I'm lucky, I will see some nuthatches.
nuthatch descending
I've not so far seen nuthatches at the bushes or feeders in my back garden (it's always blackbirds, blue tits, great tits, goldfinches, robins, sparrows and starlings). However, they are becoming more common in these northern parts, RSPB figures show that over the last half-century, the UK population of nuthatches has increased steadily from 70,000 pairs to 250,000, and their territory has expanded by a third from their southern heartland as they have colonised the country up to the Scottish Borders, an indicator perhaps of the impact of climate change.They are charming little birds with their grey-blue backs and wings, peachy underbellies and black stripe across the eye (hence the title of today's blog.) They are also unique in being able to walk head first down trees. Various birds (treecreepers, woodpeckers for instance) can climb up tree trunks, but only the cleverly adapted nuthatch can do so in both directions, and is quite often most easily identified from its distinctive downward stance.
Nuthatches inhabit deciduous woodland, parks and large gardens. Their traditional diet is hazel nuts, beech mast, acorns, wild seeds and insects drilled out of tree bark. However, they are being found increasingly in suburban gardens near parks or woodland, attracted by feeders filled with peanuts or sunflower seeds.During the breeding season from April onwards they make neat nests in holes in trees or walls, lining them with flakes of bark and dried beech or oak leaves. The clutch of anywhere between six and a dozen eggs is incubated by the female for about two weeks and the young are fed by both male and female birds. The baby nuts are ready to fledge after about five weeks.Nuthatches can often be heard before they are seen, for their singing voice although not mellifluous is quite recognisable, either as a sort of metallic "chwit chwit" usually followed by a shrill "tsit" and a trill, or as a variant a clear, piping "twee" often repeated and followed by the same rapid twill. They are not a common sight (unlike the roll-call of birds I listed earlier), but if you do spot one on a walk through the woods, you'll almost certainly see a second, for they usually fly in pairs except when the female is incubating the eggs. They are a joy to behold, truly delightful little creatures.
nuthatch ascending
It was while I was working in Warsaw fifteen years ago that my then wife and I went for a Sunday afternoon visit to Łazienki Park, the city's largest and oldest green space. We'd actually gone to hear a Chopin piano recital in the park's famous orangery, but walking along the path through woodland to get there I was surprised to see nuthatches everywhere. There were literally dozens of them within half a mile, flitting about or running up and down trees. It was the most amazing sight and the absolute highlight of the day (though the recital was enjoyable and the hot chocolate with whipped cream was excellent). It left me wondering if Chopin, who grew up in Warsaw in the early 19th century, might have taken compositional inspiration from the singing of the city's trilling nuthatches.Łazienki Park(poem not quite completed - complicated by a death in the family - will update asap)Here's a short clip of nuthatches singing: NuthatchesThanks for reading, S ;-) Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to Facebook
