Can you spot Wednesday’s bird of the day in this photo? This is by far my favourite garden bird, although it didn’t make the ‘Top 20’ list during last year’s Big Garden Birdwatch. I often refer to the nuthatch as the ‘bird-feeder bandit’ because that bold black stripe across the eye gives the impression this bird is trying hard not to be recognised. This paired with the steely-blue head and back, and custard yellow under parts means he cuts quite the figure in woodland gardens. He is the only bird in the UK that can move vertically up and down—his close relative, the treecreeper, can only move upwards before having to fly back down and start from the bottom again.
The nuthatch has a very high-pitched, whistling call that is unmistakeable after you’ve heard it once. For a reasonably small bird, around the same size as yesterday’s great tit, he’s certainly capable of making his presence known! Another way to tell that there may be one nearby is to listen out for a tapping sound. It will be much quieter than a woodpecker’s drumming but you should be able to pick it out. This is the noise produced by the nuthatch’s beak persistently hammering at the shell of a sunflower seed, one of his favourite foods. He will hold a seed steady with one or both of his feet before using his long, powerful beak to break through to the nutritious goodness hidden inside. He may be quite fussy, choosing to flick all of the bits out of the feeders that he doesn’t want before finding a sunflower seed, so choosing a mix to put out that is primarily made up of these would be ideal.
You are more likely to see these cheeky characters if your garden is near to woodland, so if this applies to you, keep an eye on your feeders for a ninja-like bird clinging upside down. Perhaps this year they might just make it on to that coveted ‘Top 20’ list!