Hatch: Hutch & Hack

It has been a good winter here for White-breasted Nuthatches. I see and hear them all over Green-Wood, especially but not exclusively at the bird feeding stations.

This one was foraging along trunks and branches…

And pulled out a seed from under the bark. Funny place for a seed, though, right?

Is it a sunflower seed from the nearby feeder? And if so, did this particular bird cache it here?

Phase II: break through husk to seed. The bird finds a place to wedge the seed in. Then it starts hacking into the husk with that sturdy, sharply pointed bill.

The “hatch” of Nuthatch comes from “hack.”