The winsome little Tree-Creeper is distributed all over Great Britain,
but you need a sharp eye to detect it in its quiet colouring on the
trunk of a tree with which its quiet colours are in perfect harmony.
Within the crevices of the bark it finds its diet of destructive
creatures’ eggs which are glued to the bark and little spiders which
hide there. During the winter it associates with the Titmice and
Fire-crested Wrens. Upwards and downwards and round about the old tree
trunk it moves. It might be taken for a mouse or some such creature; it
moves about so deftly and so close to the hole of its tree, a useful
unobtrusive little bird. In the United States they consider this species
so useful that they fix a box for it, to entice it to nest in gardens.
The Tree-Creeper climbs as nimbly as the best Woodpecker. It cannot
extend its tongue as that bird does, but can use it very cleverly. With
its fine little bill it can pierce into the smallest crevices and
extract from them the tiniest grubs. It is of great use in wood and
garden. Its usual note is a low “_seet_” or “_seet, seet, seet_.” The
simple song of the male bird is recognisable by the syllabes _teet,
teet, teet, titi-woi-teet_.
It is not uncommon in Hungary.
* * * * *
THE Tree Creeper is smaller even than the Wren, but is longer than that
bird; it is a tiny creature with a stiff tail which is very useful in
climbing. There are three front toes and one back toe on the little
legs; the
[Illustration: USEFUL.
TREE CREEPER AND NUTHATCH.]
bill is delicate and slightly curved; the upperside of the body is the
same grey of the tree trunks, spotted with white. It lays
five--sometimes as many as nine--milk-white eggs, delicately speckled
with rust-red and blood-red spots. The nest is made in crevices, small
holes, sometimes between the loosened bark and the tree, and is composed
of fine soft material.
THE NUTHATCH.
(_Sitta cæsia._)
Wherever in wood or garden the Nuthatch dwells its voice is heard. It
calls sometimes a flute-like “_tüüi, tüüi tüüi_”--sometimes a quick
“_kwee, kwee, kwee_”--and it is always very busy. It is the only bird we
have that can climb head downwards and that as quickly as it is safe.
The beak is strong and pointed. It picks out of crevices and from under
the bark of trees everything that is there in the way of grubs and
beetles and insect eggs. In the autumn it gets at oily seeds, conceals
nuts and filberts in suitable crevices and knocks them till they crack.
It does the same with the gall-nuts in order to get at the maggots or
chrysalis of the gall-wasp. It is an absolutely useful bird and one not
uncommon with us in Hungary.
* * * * *
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