Prospecting Nuthatch

Nuthatch, Rushmere CP, 2012

Hemel (BMT): I love Nuthatches! They are in every way distinctive and charismatic. Black bandit eye-stripe, steely-blue above and cheery reddy-oranges below. Their call is equally distinctive. It stands out, especially when heard against the backdrop of quietly whistling Redwings and singing Goldcrests, Great Tits, Wrens and Chaffinches, as it frequently was today.

One Nuthatch was particularly interesting this morning in Hay Wood. It was inspecting two potential nest holes and performing some kind of territorial (alluring?!) song and dance. Lots of wing flapping and tail flicking, whilst darting in and out of each hole and constantly calling and clicking. Of course, I didn’t have my tripod with me so no chance of video footage but I recorded some audio and took some photographs. In the image below, the bird is mid-performance!

On the drive home, the car thermometer read 13 deg C and I spotted my first Brimstone of the year whilst sitting in traffic.