Spring Diet of the Eurasian Nuthatch
We spent a couple of days at Woodcock Wood this week. A large section of one of our oaks had fallen across the main track during Saturday’s strong winds, and we went to assess the damage and arrange for it to be cleared.
Anyway, it was a good excuse to spend some time checking the nest boxes – see the update on the Tawny Owls: https://woodcockwood.com/tawny-owls-and-nest-boxes/.
The Nuthatches were busy harvesting caterpillars. The pair were back and forth every ten minutes of so, with beaks loaded. If there was no adult in the box, the Nuthatch would fly straight to the edge of the box, and then in. But if there was an adult already in the box, they were aware, and the new arrival would wait to one side until the other left.
The diet of the Eurasian Nuthatch comprises over 50% beetles and caterpillars during spring and summer, and the Green Oak Moth forms a major part of this.
“By day 19 the chicks have well developed feathers. The eye stripe is clear, and they spend a lot of time at the hole waiting to be fed. It isn’t until about day 24 that they will leave the nest.” From our notes on the rearing of Eurasian Nuthatch chicks made with the aid of a nest box camera – https://woodcockwood.com/the-eurasian-nuthatch/