Everyone's looking at you

This Nuthatch was the star of the show at today's bird ringing demonstration. There are loads of nuthatch species found around the world, but in the UK we have only one (I've seen a couple more, Kruper's and Western Rock, in Greece).

Nuthatches are fantastic birds. They have a bit of an attitude and are the only British birds which descend tree trunks head-first. They're noisy, cheeky and fun to watch. Kind of like a mini-woodpecker.

Fortunately for me, this Nuthatch didn't really peck me very much while I was ringing and handling it. The same cannot be said for a Great Spotted Woodpecker, which took great delight in pecking my fingers til they bled!

(that's not my hand in the photo, BTW)