He first tried to land on the 4x4 post to the left of the hanging plate, but failing to find a rough enough surface to grasp, he flew, only to return seconds later and land on the plate.
True to his name, after grabbing a seed, he quickly flew to a near-by tree to slide his treasure under the bark and “hatch” it.
These guys are incredibly fun to watch. In this silhouette below that I captured in October you can see the length of his toes and sharp claws that enable him to travel upside down along the trunk.
And in his beak, a nut. Not only do they use the tree bark and lichen to hold the nut while they crack the casing, they also hide their bounty so they can retrieve it later. During this particular observation I determined that this little guy was either very careful or picky. Through the series of photos, it was apparent that he buried his seed, walked away, thought better of it, retrieved it again, and repeated the process several times until he found just the right place to deposit it.
Don’t you just wonder how they remember where they put it? And then don't you wonder how many of these carefully hidden stores are pilfered by hungry neighbors?Linked to Bird Photography Weekly # 19 at Birdfreak.com to celebrate the conservation of our world's birds.
Vickie great post on the nuthatch. Love the silhouette. You now have some wonderful photos to sketch and paint.
ReplyDeleteHey, Toni. Tell me. Its only the first week of 2009 and I feel behind already! The "want-to" arrives so much faster than the moment I can devote to it!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fascinating little bird - and your photos are great. I love the way you have photographed the seed/nut in the bird's beak.
ReplyDeleteThey do have big toes don't they, pefect for grabbing onto all that thick bark.
ReplyDeleteWhite-breasted nuthatches are so small and cute. I love watching them, too. They are just as flitty as titmice and chickadees. That silhouette photo is great.
ReplyDeleteLove the silhouette! I've got the chickadees and the titmice, but haven't spotted a nuthatch yet. I'll keep looking!
ReplyDeleteI love Nuthatches too. I am starting to try to photograph behavior more. Your photos are terrific. Love the silhouette! Those feet are something.
ReplyDeleteHi Mick. Of course, I couldn't see the seed until I viewed the photos on the screen! One of those awesome little surprises.
ReplyDeleteHi Bernie. I love how bird feet say so much about their personalities.
Welcome Mary! They are all so different and yet they have their hang-out patterns in common and their reliance on each other for vigilance.
Thanks Amber. Hope you see a nuthatch soon. It will be a fun surprise.
Hi Beverly. Isn't behavior fun? I think camera-in-hand enhances observation. We have to stop and watch to get the photo and then there's even more fascination.
Good pictures that show the Nuthatch normal position.(upside down).
ReplyDeleteWe have Blue Nuthatch (Sitta azurea) here, but I have yet to see it.
Great series Vickie!
ReplyDeleteI wonder about that all the time! Especially with the Scrub Jays and their peanuts and then the Squirrels too :)
Great series of photos of a fun, busy bird! I love watching the nuthatch hammer away at his seed!
ReplyDeleteGreat info and shots. We have the red-breasted variety here. ANd are titmice like bushtits? (...which we also have and my boys laugh endlessly about their name! :)
ReplyDeleteCute little bird. I've yet to see one, but certainly have them around. They haven't come to my feeder yet, at least not when I've been watching.
ReplyDeleteAh! Now I think I know why You sometimes find a different species of tree seemingly growing out of another! A nut hatched!
ReplyDeleteWonderful captures sof the nuthatch doing what nuthatches do.
ReplyDeleteI like how you describe the behavior of your nuthatch who kept burying his seed in different places "until he found just the right place to deposit it." In California, I would often see blue jays burying the same nuts in the ground over and over. Activity like that does make one wonder what the birds are thinking!
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