Photo by Chris Prince
The nuthatch is a particularly noisy character; his song is a loud series of piping notes; a rapid ‘twit-twit-twit-twit’. His call has been likened to the sound of a typewriter with an uneven rhythm, or morse code.
He is a handsome fellow with his lovely slate blue-grey back and a black eye stripe that elongates the appearance of his already long bill. The long beak is ideal for prising away bark whilst foraging for insects and to hammer open nuts and acorns, the latter explaining one his alternative names of ‘nut hacker’.
The nuthatch also has a couple of very special skills. It is the only British bird that can climb down a tree as well as up and they can be seen nimbly descending tree trunks head first.
They are also expert plasterers who use mud (or sometimes dung!) to customize their nest holes. They don’t excavate their own but will adapt either natural holes or those made by other bird species.
See & hear a nuthatch: you’ll find them on the wooded areas of the heath throughout the year, particularly near the lovely mature oak trees.
Heathlands Reunited: This is part of a series of blogs introducing some of the fascinating creatures we find on our heathlands. They'll all be featuring on our newly interpreted trail on the heath created as part of the Heathlands Reunited Project. This partnership project, led by the South Downs National Park Authority aims to restore and reconnect the precious heathland habitat across the National Park.