Nuthatch

we have nuthatches nesting in a box I put up last year.   FAsanating watching them putting mud round  inside of the entrance.  

On another tree very close we have bluetits.    It’s lovely. Can’t stop standing watching them.   

  • Hi Keith,    Nuthatches are lovely birds and nice to hear they nested in your garden;  birds have incredible skills when building nests and we also have nuthatches hat have used a branch in our oak tree to nest in previous years and also a new stonecrete box we put up and as you say, the mud around the entrance hole is amazing - sets like concrete and it was difficult to clean the box out last year as we almost needed a chisel to take the mud away once the box and nesting season was over !    

    This was the nest box (inside) front once we had taken it down in autumn to clean the mud and inside of the box   !!

    thought you may like to see a photo taken a few years ago when we saw the last nuthatch fledge from the oak branch nest hole .....   the parent birds were trying to coax it out which it did ten minutes after this was taken ......    once again you can see the mud it uses to narrow down the entrance to the nesting space.

    you can see the juvenile nuthatch just peeping its head out of the hole with the parent bird above. 

  • Thank you. How do I add photos

    It's so exciting.
    Got bluetits in a tree the other side of garden

    Ty

    Keith
    I'm in Dorset
  • Very nice Keith, when you reply click on Alan's post that way you can use the rich formatting, they have yet to fix this on the last post which will be mine unless someone else posts before you do, and welcome to the mad house :)
  • What a great photo of the mum and peeking baby! Our garden backs on to woodland and we have nuthatches visiting our bird feeders. They’re so streamlined and beautiful. I’ll have to investigate what kind of bird boxes they might use. I’ve never heard of a concrete one.
  • Busy muffing the entrance on the inside.    

  • Hello Keith, welcome from up in Caithness at the very top of Scotland. How lovely to have the nuthatches, I have never seen one here. It is exciting watching them getting their nests ready, all the comings and goings with beaks full of nest material. Enjoy.
  • It’s amazing. So much work
    Hoping to see fledglings eventually

    Wish I had a better lens for my camera lol. I want to get in the box

    Keith
  • FranC115 said:
    I’ve never heard of a concrete one.

    Hi Fran,   HERE is a link to the type of box we used;   both pairs of nuthatches used this type of stone nesting box which also give some form of protection from woodpeckers and other predators.    The danger period is when the chicks grow and start sticking their heads at the nest hole.     Nuthatches use a slightly larger nesthole entrance so I would advise that you opt for the 32mm size.    Colour choice is optional;   we chose the green colour.

  • Morning, I have three bird boxes (one with a camera) all three have blue tits in and out. The camera box has shown that one bird has been staying overnight for last 4 weeks. Can’t wait to see if she builds a nest