Society of Nuthatches

“The chickadee and nuthatch are more inspiring society than statesmen and philosophers”

Henry David Thoreau

Nuthatches came calling at the birdfeeder last winter, spirited and sprightly little guests. Sporting brown crowns on their heads and blue robes along their wings and backs, they ended up behaving like entitled royalty, just as their appearance suggested.

I was thrilled to see them. They are clinging birds with the ability to grasp a tree trunk or branch from any angle—sideways, upside down, right-side up. They use this acrobatic capability to seek out and feed on insects that hide in crevices. What darlings! I loved watching their antics in the trees and at the feeder. They seemed to especially enjoy the sunflower seeds I’d put out. 

Then one day, I heard a loud rat-a-tat-tat nearby, as if someone were using a pen hammer or a tiny pile-driver vigorously against our house. I stepped outside, and my eyes followed the sound up to the gable, high above our front door.

Near the gable’s apex, one of our recent nuthatch guests pounded away at our stucco siding while another stood watch from the top. What were they doing?!, I wondered.

Later, I learned that nuthatches don’t limit their insect seeking to trees. This one seemed especially intent on what might be hiding between our siding and trim.

At the time, I did the only thing I could think of: I shot them with a jet of water from the hose. They darted to the maple tree near the top of the driveway and began chiding me with their high-pitched squeaky calls. I fussed right back. “You have to stop doing that!” 

But they didn’t. The spray of water only paused their industriousness. Within minutes, the insidious tapping would begin again. And a silly human in the house would run out the door, grab the hose, and shoot. 

I took down the feeder, hoping the lack of free food would send these guests elsewhere. It didn’t. They hammered at our house like carpenter kings on a deadline.

Some trustworthy online sites advised putting up suet feeders to keep the birds busy and distracted. Unfortunately, that wasn’t an option for us because of our frequent travel. And while silver discs or “scare tape” will keep woodpeckers away, nuthatches barely blink an eye at the shiny, moving objects.

Finally, my husband strung bird netting over the gable and all their handiwork. The silence that followed lasted for months. The netting came down. The stucco was repaired. I didn’t put the feeder back out. 

Two days ago—rat-a-tat-tat! The royalty came back! And within a day, so did the bird netting. 

With all due respect to Thoreau, I’ll take a little less inspiration from nuthatches.