Friday, January 14, 2011

Nuthatch

No shortage of nest boxes for this individual to try out this afternoon at Elland Gravel Pits.



15 Goosander (10male & 5 female) around & 13 Siskin nearby.
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3 comments:

darrell j prest said...

nice

i would love to why nuthatch are becoming more and more common in the area?

any theorys

8:19 pm
David Tattersley said...

It is a very good question why Nuthatch are expanding their range westwards into the area fairly rapidly over recent years, Goldfinch & Long-tailed Tit are all much more common now as well than they used to be, yet Willow Tit and House Sparrow have declined massively over the same period.

Garden feeding and the provision of artificial nest sites must have contributed as far as Nuthatch is concerned, but you can't put it solely down to people putting food out in their gardens as House Sparrow & Willow Tit will readily come to garden feeders if they are in the area.

In the early 1980's I had Willow Tit in my garden at Thongsbridge near Holmfirth on a regular basis, Lesser Redpoll were also much more common and happily came to the feeders in large numbers.

I get Nuthatch now in my garden throughout the year whereas 5 years ago I didn't and this winter they have developed a liking for the suet blocks which I put out, yet they have never done so before, usually preferring sunflower hearts or peanuts, so they are obviously adapting their behaviour and needs which must be contributing to their 'relative' success.

Final point, what is there to stop the expansion of a resident arboreal species like Nuthatch where artificial nest boxes are provided?

Changes in farming practices and the use of chemicals and fertilisers in the countryside should have less impact on woodland species and it would appear more woodlands are now being actively managed with the emphasis on more native species being planted so hopefully they will continue their recent expansion as they always make me smile when I see one!

11:08 am
darrell j prest said...

thanks david for the reply some very interesting thoughts.

not all doom and gloom then

all the best

darrell

6:17 pm

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