Size seems to matter to a nuthatch

I was able to have a slow start to the day and could watch the mists withdraw from the valley as the sun warmed the air.  I did some housework and still had a little time free before heading to do my stint on the first day of the pop-up.

So I made a strong brew of coffee and headed out to the cabin with the intention of watching the birds feed under the rhus tree.  I replenished the feeders and added a bit of suet to the open tray hopiong to attract some of the bigger birds.  I saw a jay yesterday on the trunk looking enviously at the hanging feeders which it couldn't use and the day before there were five goldfinches which was very encouraging.

The sun at midday shines from the side of these feeders so the lighting was quite good.  Lots of titis came as usual as did a robin, a shy dunnock, a very bedraggled finch whose feathers were all moulting and a single goldfinch.

I wanted to catch them in flight so had to set the ISO very high.  Several nuthatches came back repeatedly and bullied there way onto the feeders.    I rather like the ambition of this nuthatch taking an unusually large piece of suet which it obviously 'thought' was the pick of the bunch.  I hope one day to get better or sharper pictures of their wing motion, but in the meantime this amused me.