365Caws is now in its 14th year of publication, and was originally intended to end after 365 days. It has sometimes been difficult for me to find new material, particularly during the winter months, but now as I enter my own twilight years, I cannot guarantee that I will be able to provide daily posts. It is my hope that along the way I may have inspired someone to a greater curiosity about the natural world. If so, I can rest, content in the knowledge that my work here has been done.
Tuesday, January 4, 2022
Nut
Day 83: Something of an oddity at my house, Nut always surprises me when he shows up, and even moreso when he does it in winter. I've been seeing Red-breasted Nuthatches more often since the Chickadees began coming to the feeders a few years ago, but never more than two or three at a time. This acrobatic visitor seems to be a solo, and he much prefers suet to seed, although he'll accept the latter in a pinch. He doesn't mind sharing with the Juncos or the 'Dee-dees, but his tolerance for Siskins is rather low. It must be mentioned here that for their size, Siskins can be quite intimidating when they stand up to larger birds. Even the Varied Thrush gives them a wide berth, not wanting to be pecked with those needle-sharp little beaks. Red-breasted Nuthatches (Sitta canadensis) are known to associate with Chickadees and sometimes loot their nests for feathers with which to pad their own constructions. They also are known to hang out with Kinglets, as do Chickadee species.
Labels:
Red-Breasted Nuthatch,
Sitta canadensis,
suet feeder
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