The pearl nut (Nucifraga caryocatactes) is another interesting species that has appeared on our feeder in recent days. The walnut is a typical alpine species of the raven family. It lives in the Palearctic in coniferous forests. In Slovakia, it occurs in coniferous forests in the hills of central and eastern Slovakia, especially from 600 – 1,200 m n. m. In the Tatras, it climbs and nests up to 1500 m n. m. It visits feeders and closer to human settlements very rarely. This year, however, is marked by the invasion of this species in locations where we would not normally expect it. Nutcrackers also began to appear in southern and western Slovakia. And since they show very little shyness, in many cases lower than the typical “Tatra nutcrackers”, there is a high assumption that this mass eruption is from the north. It is therefore likely that it could be the Siberian subspecies N. c. macrorhynchus. We will try to catch this individual in the coming days, examine in detail the signs that could confirm the mentioned subspecies and mark it with an ornithological ring.
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Text: Ing. Juraj Žiak
Photo: Juraj Žiak, Ivan Darani
