transition

Autumn is really here. Time to change the blog header from a White-breasted Nuthatch, a year-round resident here, to our winter visitor, the Red-breasted Nuthatch. My header graphics are from WoodSong Nature Photography (see also the extensive galleries here). To do it justice, I had to post the original photo, from which the header was designed, here. Cindy is one of the most outstanding nature photographers around today. Her talent goes beyond great subjects, composition, and technical ability. She truly captures the essence of the natural world (and her work is available for purchase, so you can own a bit of her vision yourself).  You can't look through her images without being moved. Visit her sites (and her blog) and revel in nature. 

Nuthatches are my favorite birds. Of them, Red-breasted Nuthatches are #1.  They are, first of all, tiny and cute. Bent described them as "stylish looking," going on to say, "The blue-gray, black, and tawny coloring makes a pleasing artistic combination, and the diminutive tail supplies a piquant effect."  Naturalist John Burroughs, describing the way one will flash its wings when whacking away at a wedged seed noted, "If this does not add force to his blows, it certainly emphasizes them in a very pretty manner."

But the real reason I am attracted to nuthatches is that they appeal to the rugged individualist in me. Whereas creepers and woodpeckers perform their bark-gleaning duties by working their way up a tree trunk, nuthatches go about it from the top down.  This allows them to exploit resources that might be overlooked by other species. In a world where form and function are the rule, nuthatches have adapted perfectly to their tree-trunk niche. 

Red-breasted Nuthatches announce their arrival in my yard in late August or early September with an unmistakable toy-horn call.  Their constant activity at my feeders is a bright spot in a long winter.  And they always remind me that when facing the demands of day-to-day life, it pays to look at things from a different perspective.

Comments

[Cindy M.]

hey, I know that bird :) I saw my first RBN this week near a local river and thought of you.
(Thank you for the kind words my friend, I hope you hear many tiny tooting horns this season)

[Daniel]

Great post! I too saw my first RBN come to the feeder this morning, since last Fall (heard them during that time, of course), and was most pleased. Thanks for the good blogging.

[Mark O'Brien]

I like RBN's too, but my favorite bird is the chickadee. They remind me of growing up in the Adirondacks. Second -- Tifted Titmouse.

[bob]

If I don't see a RBNH this year, I'm going to kill myself... I went for a walk this weekend -- TONS of Yellow-rumps -- oh yeah -- lots of them -- and the usual chatty RBWP -- and lots of beeping WBNH's -- but, oh no -- uh uh -- no signs of the coveted RBNH -- and I'm pissed! ... I didn't see one all last year --- I'm cursed I tell ya...

[Ontario Wanderer]

There are just too many great blogs for me to have time to read them all. I was pleased this morning to catch up with yours. Thanks for all the great thoughts and photos. Meanwhile, I have to fix our bird feeder. I am missing birds since the raccoon totally distroyed our feeder.