Eurasian Nuthatch.........the only european bird capable of running UP and DOWN a tree trunk!

The Nuthatch is a fast moving bird; running and darting off in any direction and rarely staying still for more than a few seconds. These traits make photographing them a serious challenge. Despite this, they are a joy to watch and it is very satisfying to capture their images. I am lucky enough to have them visit my garden and the following shots were all taken from within my hide during the past week.

The European Nuthatch is a small bird, similar in size to a Great Tit, or Chaffinch. However, it has a longer lifespan (up to 10 years) than most small birds. It's real claim to fame though, is that it is the only european bird capable of running up, down and around the trunks and branches of trees. It is often mistaken for the similar treecreeper, or a small woodpecker which also run up the side of trees, but are not able to match the Nuthatches flexibility of also running down! 

In fact, it is very rare to see a Nuthatch in a Horizontal pose; generally preferring to stand at crazy angles on tree trunks, often facing downwards with the neck and head contorted in a sideways, or upwards direction! 

In most of the species, the adult male’s upperparts, wings, and tail contain some variations of blue-grey. Its underparts are buff in colour. Other features include dark yellow-brown, brown or dark grey legs and feet. The head markings are striking. The forehead and crown are also blue-grey, and dark brown eyes peer out from above the sturdy, dark grey (almost black) beak. There is a black eye stripe along the superciliary line, from the maxilla, through the eye and up to the nape sides. The underside of the neck is buff-white, and the cheeks and chin are white. The female’s appearance is quite similar to the male’s, but her colours are not as bright as his. The immature European Nuthatch resembles the adult female, but its feather markings are duller.

This species will dwell in both deciduous and mixed woodlands, often being seen to forage and nest in neighborhood gardens and parks which contain large, mature trees. Although it spends most of the year in mixed woodlands, it prefers to breed in places with an abundance of coniferous trees.

The Eurasian Nuthatch’s breeding season takes place in April and May. During this time, the highly territorial pair is inseparable, utilizing constant contact calls and foraging in the same places. The male’s courtship includes displaying his spread tail feathers and fluffing his wings as they open to display the brightly colored plumage.

Rather than build its own nests, the Eurasian Nuthatch seeks a vacated woodpecker’s nest or a natural cavity in a tree in which to build its cup-shaped nest. The female lines the nest area with wood chips or bark, and if the entrance hole is more open than they would like, she packs mud around it to reduce its size. She may also use the mud to coat the interior of the nest for protection in bad weather.

After the female has spent as much as a month building the nest by herself, she retains ownership of it for several years. She will lay 5-9 white eggs, which have tiny markings. She incubates the eggs for up to 20 days, after which time, she alone broods the chicks. A week or two later they fledge. The pair generally produces only one brood per season, but sometimes she will lay a second clutch.

Nuthatches feed on all sorts of foods, including insects, seeds, nuts and berries. Just as other species of Nuthatch wedge their food into bark crevices, so does the Eurasian. They pound the seeds and insects into the crevice for later retrieval, using the weight of their tiny bodies to drive the food deep into the wood.

They are also regular visitors to bird feeders, where they can be quite aggressive, chasing other birds away.

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