ENJOY

When I get the winter birding blues I fill the feeder and wait for the chickadees and nuthatches to take notice.  It doesn’t take long, distinctive voices letting me know they’ve arrived.

There are four nuthatch species, but only one, the Brown-headed, is common to us here in the Panhandle.  Their call sounds like a child’s squeeze toy and is easy to recognize.  Watch this acrobat climb up, down and sideways through tree branches seeking miniscule tidbits in the bark.  And yes, their name derives from hacking nuts open with sharp beaks.

If lucky you may see a Red-breasted flock during the winter months, particularly during this irruptive season.  Look for them in oak and pine forests like the Naval Oaks Reserve in Gulf Breeze or Ft. Pickens on Santa Rosa Island.   When in the West look for them year round in wooded and mountain areas.

In Yosemite National Park their toy horn honks are the principal sound through Ponderosa pines.  White-breasted Nuthatches are a real rarity for us, but they can be seen year round in northern Alabama.  But you will have to go West for the smallest of the family, the Pigmy.

All nuthatch species dig nesting cavities, commonly in dead trees, where the work is easier, but also in the very top of tall pines.  They are acrobats of air and limb alike, and always fun to watch.  I’m told they will feed from your hand, if you’re patient enough.  They certainly are not wary of people, which is much of the fun of feeding them winter mornings, and watching them race through your garden.

By Jere French