A nuthatch feeding

Helena went out to the cabin to enjoy sitting in the early evening sunshine and I joined her with a gin and tonic, after 6pm, and a camera round my neck. When I stood outside the cabin on the patio chatting to her, a nuthatch flew on to the rhus tree where the feeders are normally placed and I watched it looking at me.  But it couldn't find the hanging feeder that is normally there.  We are currently plagued by marauding squirrels, which knock the feeders to the ground despite our best attempts to inhibit them.

I picked up the feeder from the ground and found it still had some sunflowers seeds in it, I so just hung it back up from a stronger branch.  I think the squirrels had been rolling it around on the earth to try to get the seeds out, as it seems very muddy now.  I then sat on a chair on the patio with my camera, drink and the sounds of the evening bird songs and waited.  Most of the birds who frequent the feeders seem to have gone now, probably to breed or to their summer quarters.  But the nuthatches seem to be be happily nesting where they have been all winter.

When it returned it landed on a high branch of the tree, jumped down to another after a few seconds and then proceeded to the feeder.  There it stood on the perch and proceeded to eat intensely.  It filled its mouth with many seeds and I presume it will be taking them back to the nest for its progeny.  I do like to see it so close to us with it appearing afraid.  The cats don't seem to bother it, and it is certainly the king of the small birds which always give way for them.  Hopefully we will see the pair bringing their young to the feeders to lear how to get the seeds, as they did last year.