Usually, when birds’ brains turn to breeding, they begin building their nests but not the Nuthatch. These birds raise their young in holes in tree trunks so they need to excavate their nests. Rather than dig out the entire hole on their own, they sometimes take advantage of a natural hole in the wood, perhaps where a branch had broken off, or, more often, they use a hole that has previously been used by a woodpecker.

Still, some remodelling or, at the very least, a good clear out would probably be necessary, and that’s exactly what I spotted this particular Nuthatch doing at Forest Farm earlier this week. It would dive inside, disappearing completely for a minute or so, then its head would appear, and it would give itself a good shake to release the tiny bits of wood it had excavated with its sharp beak. This went on for quite a while until a well-meaning woman came along and sprinkled some seeds on a nearby branch. That brought in several small birds and, when it realised food was on offer, the Nuthatch quickly became distracted. Still, I’m sure it will return to the nest hole, and I’ll certainly be checking out this location on future visits, keeping an eye out for signs the nest contains chicks.