Nuthatches Go Nutty

They’ll pop into smaller gardens if there are hanging feeders to make the effort worthwhile.

Hazelnuts are ripening just now, which is great news for nuthatches. They go nuts for tree seeds of all shapes and sizes. That includes beech mast and acorns. Of what’s on the menu, it’s hazelnuts that present the toughest challenge, but the nuthatch’s chisel-sharp bill will deal with a hazel’s shell.

The way it happens is that a nut is taken to a suitable tree and wedged into the bark. The bird then hacks away at the shell until it splinters – you’ll often hear the tapping sound in woodland during the autumn.