The Lincolnshire Bird Club

Wednesday 17th February

Yesterday evening a farmer colleague of mine sent me an email with image attached of a Nuthatch feeding on a feeder in the farmhouse garden. The bird seems to go for the sunflower hearts on offer and has been a regular visitor on and off all through the winter.

The question I would like to ask is how many other Nuthatches are there being reported in the mid lincs area and how many of these are seen at feeding stations?

Mike

Hello Mike
Food is regularly placed at the side of Neville Wood, Potterhanworth as the road turns towards Wasps Nest. I have seen a Nuthatch at the feeding point on each of the 3 times I've visited there in the last couple of weeks. A Marsh Tit was posing there nicely last Sunday about midday. Cheers Colin

Michael, I would say the answer is quite a few and increasing rapidly. The Mid-Lincs RG have ringed Nuthatches at garden feeder sites in Market Stainton (2), Muckton (3), Brackenborugh (1), Osgodby (2) Newball (1) and Louth (1) all in the last 12 months. These are only birds that have actually been trapped - many more have been seen or heard. Considering the Group had never ringed one prior to 2008 their swift expansion into central Lincolnshire is quite remarkable. Stuart.

Peter Childs and I found 13 pairs in 10 location in mid Lincs last spring/summer,
several in sites not previously noted, so agree with Stuart , we have already found 4 pairs
with territories in 3 locations within 3 miles of Louth this year.

regards John

On 14/02/2016 I recorded my first nuthatch in Fulbeck in over 12 month. As I am out most days, it seems unlikely that I am missing them for such long periods? Where do they go?

We have plenty of mature (veteran) trees and some parkland, but lack extensive areas of woodland....

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Andrew Chick
Website: http://www.forktail.co.uk/

It might be that they are just very quiet in the winter and thus hard to find
A site Pete and I regularly walk has 3 pairs but we rarely see them during the winter months,
second week in Feb on a sunny day they were very vocal and easy to locate, so present all winter ???

regards John

I've just received notification of a juvenile Nuthatch ringed on 27/6/2015 at Gibraltar Point which was re-trapped by the Mid-Lincs RG at Muckton near Louth on 29th August, 31 kilometres north-west. In itself the movement is considerable for what is a highly sedentary species but the most intriguing question is where was it hatched - almost certainly not Gib.!