Nuthatch

Stubby black dagger beak,
stuck to sooty bandit eyestrip
on head which merges with its body –
elongated bulb-like bird,             
plump, sleek, steely-blue back,
unders chestnut-buff and white:
exciting sight as clinging claws
steal down the tree’s rough trunk,
dagger prising back the bark
to grasp a tasty insect prize,
or hammering wedged nut
in crevice with its hatchet bill:
nuthacker, nutcracker, nuthatch.