Country diary: There’s no better plasterer than a nuthatch | Nic Wilson

Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire: I’m watching one prepare her nest, daubing and filling every gap with whatever claggy muck she can get her bill onThe bowling club car park is almost deserted. Above my car, three wood pigeons peck at ash flowers that hang like clusters of tiny fists, while I watch the trees through my binoculars from the driver’s seat, hoping I’ve arrived in time to catch a “mud‑dabber” in action for the third consecutive sprin