A Special Visit with a Brown Creeper

I have been thinking lately about all the things I'm grateful for, a feeling that started long before the Thanksgiving holiday arrived.  The feeling was helped along by the fact that my laptop screen shattered internally into a million colored lines a couple of weeks ago. This, of course, is not a disaster in the relative world of disasters, not even in the world of computer disasters, but as you may know, it can make you feel temporarily blinded.  All digital creative work comes to a screeching halt.  

Within a few days, a friend brought me an external screen to use temporarily while I decided what I should do to remedy the problem.  This amazed me.  Not the friend's instant generosity, but how gently and swiftly a solution arrived.  Instead of feeling distress over this unexpected turn of events, all I could feel was gratitude.

And while looking at the image above, that same feeling came over me again.  I enjoyed about twenty minutes with this brown creeper at eye-level, and each time I thought she/he had flown away, back she came, no intention of leaving, simply re-positioning herself for better foraging.  And if that wasn't gift enough, take a closer look at the image.  Notice not only the exquisite camouflaging patterns in the creeper's plumage, but the gorgeous aqua blue lichen, the darker green moss along side it, and those same muted colors glowing from the background light beyond.

All of this captured in the image quite by accident.  I was simply being very still, intent on following this little bird with my camera for as long as she would allow it.  When I saw this image, I instantly wanted to paint it.  It says so much about nature's simple beauty and the hidden wisdom that it holds.  A tiny little brown bird, so cleverly blending into the cracks and crevices of a tree's bark with its perfect shape and plumage patterns.  Blink your eyes, and she disappears, even when you know she's still right there.

The brown creeper is similar to woodpeckers in that it uses its tail for a brace, spiraling up and around the tree's trunk foraging for insects using it's slender decurved bill like a pair of tweezers.  Unlike nuthatches, creepers can only move forward up the tree, not down, facing downward, as nuthatches are able to do.  This is part of the reason I kept thinking she was flying away.  When she wanted to move down the trunk, she fluttered up from her current position and back down again, landing just where she needed to be.

We are fortunate to have these visitors in the winter months in the Tennessee Valley. They breed in higher elevations in Tennessee and in the northeast, and wander during winter months to warmer climates.  Considered solitary in the winter months, according to Sibley's Guide to Bird Life and Behavior, they also may travel in mixed flocks.  And small groups of creepers may congregate to roost in tree crevices at night, maximizing their warmth.  Can you imagine that?  A whole group of cuddling brown creepers!

And if that mental image isn't charming enough, my Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Tennessee describes the creeper as building its nest behind a slab of bark on a dead tree and laying eggs that are often arranged in the shape of a wreath.  The young fledge in 13-16 days.  "After fledging, the brood roosts in a tight circle with their heads inward."

The deeper we look, the more we discover the fascinating in nature.  And to have these wonders all around us, wherever we are, is a certain reason to feel thankful.

Earlier in the week someone said to me, "being thankful is good for you".  Wondering about her observation, I inquired further.  She responded, "Thankfulness is directly related to happiness.  The more thankful you are, the happier you feel."  Helpful words to remember every day of the year.

Links and resources:
You may also enjoy reading my November article for Wild Birds Unlimited:  An Intimate Visit with a Brown Creeper.  To see the bird-related illustration project I'm currently working on, visit:  A Peek at One of My Art Projects at Vickie's Sketchbook.