I had never seen a nuthatch of any kind until Norman arrived in my garden last fall. Suddenly there he was, a tiny flying badger, making peeping noises like the world’s smallest truck backing up in the lilac tree.
Norman is a red-breasted nuthatch, close cousin to the white-breasted, brown-headed and pygmy nuthatches, and the elusive brown creeper.
Now, every morning when I go into the garden, after issuing my standard crazy bird lady greeting to the assembled avian company, “Hi there, Birdy McBirdles!” — I’m looking to see if I can spot Norman.
I’ve given him a name since he’s easy to identify, being the only nuthatch in the garden. Some time in late fall a second one showed up, but after a few days of noisy squabbling we seem to be back down to one.
The Cornell information on them describes the red-breasted nuthatch as “an intense bundle of energy at your feeder” — and that does just about sum up Norman.
He’s a zoomer.
Zooms down to the feeder, back up to the trees — up and down, dozens of times a day.
Pretty fearless too, whipping by inches from my head, and unfazed if I walk right beside the feeder. The other birds are off in a feathery flurry if I get too close, but Norman and his dauntless black-capped chickadee buddies tend to stand their ground.
Norman often zigzags down the trees head first, like a Skeleton competitor. He is aided in this manoeuvre by the large hook-like claws on his back toes.
He’s a picky eater and will often perch at the feeder pulling out, and impatiently discarding, one morsel after another until he finally unearths the specific one he was looking for, usually a nice big peanut.
He’ll fly off to a nearby tree and jam the nut prize into a bark crevice where he can pick away at it at his leisure. The tree bark is also the source of the tasty bugs that make up the rest of his diet.
Beep, beep, beep …
Another cool fact about red-breasted nuthatches — they smear the entrance to their nests (usually excavated in a decaying tree or stump) with sticky resin, presumably to ward off predators or would-be lodgers. To avoid getting stuck themselves, they’ve perfected the art of diving directly and neatly into the nest.
I hope Norman can find himself a mate and they will have fun making a glue-guarded nest. Maybe we’ll see some nuthatch babies later this spring.
I’ll keep you posted on the Norman News.
Norman on a blustery day, showing off that big back claw.
If you enjoyed this post you might also like:
__________________________________________________________________________________________
© junehunterimages, 2020. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to junehunterimages with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Thanks so much for sharing the nuthatch photos. A sweetheart of the bird. Also sounds feisty.
Thanks. Dorothy
Love the tiny birds, and he sounds exceptional!
Oh, you are such a wonderful wordsmith, as well as a great birdlady!
Love your blogs & your art,…have a few. Like you, never have I ever seen such a variety of feathers in my garden. To my delight a pair of stellers who will hopefully take over the large cedar in the back corner, I, too have nuthatches also chickadees (dumb name) some indigeous to Vr. Island, not a huge stretch to settle in Tsawwassen.
Recently bought a new camera to capture my little neighbours at their various ‘cafes’. In the past, I tried to share your blogs with my chums, artists & birders to no avail. Hopefully if this reaches you, I will have contact, We don’t twitter, tweet or twaat, yuck on face book, (So Me Me Me) Thanks Kerri
Thanks, Kerri! Have fun with the camera. If you’d like to share the blog with pals, you could just email them the link: http://urbannature.blog/2020/03/04/norman-the-nuthatch
Steller’s Jays seem to be on the move! I’d never seen any in our neighbourhood at all until this winter and I’ve heard the same from a lot of other people. They’re kind of noisy, but I can’t help love having them around. 🙂
How I admire the thought and patience that goes into this blog. Red-breasted Nuthatches are my number one favourite bird. Listen for that “yank, yank, yank” in our coaastal forest if one doesn’t show up at your feeder.
I’ll listen for that next time in the woods. Thanks 🙂
Love your blogs & your art,…have a few. Like you, never have I ever seen such a variety of feathers in my garden. To my delight a pair of stellers who will hopefully take over the large cedar in the back corner, I, too have nuthatches also chickadees (dumb name) some indigeous to Vr. Island, not a huge stretch to settle in Tsawwassen.
Recently bought a new camera to capture my little neighbours at their various ‘cafes’. In the past, I tried to share your blogs with my chums, artists & birders to no avail. Hopefully if this reaches you, I will have contact, We don’t twitter, tweet or twaat, yuck on face book, (So Me Me Me) Thanks Kerri
I love this. Norman looking focussed and fluffed up on the red branch – that is my favourite. Feels encouraging, somehow. Thanks June.
Pingback: Norman News | The Urban Nature Enthusiast
Pingback: The Charm of Goldfinches | The Urban Nature Enthusiast
Pingback: Going Viral in a Pandemic | The Urban Nature Enthusiast