By Laura Scotcher on behalf of SLH
This month the autumn equinox, when day and night are roughly equal in length, marks the start of astronomical autumn in the Northern Hemisphere. At this point in the year, with the seasonal drop in temperature, spring and summer food sources such as insects begin to dwindle. Many animals are well under way with the annual task of creating food stores which will be essential sources of sustenance through winter. One of these industrious food collectors is the nuthatch!
Appearance
The nuthatch (Sitta europaea) is a small bird (larger than a robin, smaller than a blackbird). They are blue-grey on top, pale orange underneath and have a black swoosh over their eyes. They have a long pointed beak, a relatively large head and a short tail. If you see a bird matching this description and they are climbing headfirst down a tree trunk, you have definitely spotted a nuthatch. They are the only bird in the UK that can do this!
Picture by Elise Van Meerssche
Habitat
Nuthatches are woodland dwelling birds and resident year round in England, Wales and southern Scotland. They live in broadleaved woodland and tend to favour large mature oak trees which provide both nesting and food storage opportunities. Nuthatches rarely travel far from the woods where they hatch. Whilst not a common visitor to gardens, if you live near a woodland they may visit on their search for food, particularly in the winter months. Visit wooded areas of the Heatons for your best chance of spotting nuthatches.
Sound?
Listen for its series of whistles which sound like a ‘dwip dwip’ call. See the website links below for recordings of their call.
Food
The name ‘nuthatch’ is related to the word ‘hack’ which describe how they use their beaks to hammer nuts and seeds into tree bark in order to crack the outer shells and access the edible insides. In the spring and summer months they also eat insects and invertebrates.
Nesting?
Nuthatches nest in tree cavities and often occupy old woodpecker holes. They sometimes plaster mud around the entrance of their nesting hole in order to make it smaller and less accessible to predators and competitors. They are happy to use nest boxes too if they are located in the right environment. They will lay around six to eight eggs. The chicks will hatch after around two weeks, and fledging after around three to four weeks.
Want to learn more?
I gathered the information for this article from the following sources…
https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/the-year-in-nature/the-year-in-nature-september
https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wing-tips/wing-tips-what-to-see-in-september
https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/nuthatch
https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/animals/birds/nuthatch/