Nuthatch in February

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Nuthatch in February

February 23, 2015 by Mike Powell

Last week I stayed pretty close to home as we experienced frigid temperatures, a couple of show storms, and difficult driving conditions, but I did walk through the neighborhood one day and observed some of the “local” birds, like this beautiful little White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis).

These birds seem to spend so much of their time upside down that I wonder if they get dizzy from blood rushing to their heads. I was happy to be able to get some shots of the nuthatch in a variety of positions, including some upright ones, and here are a few of my favorite images from my moments with the nuthatch, including a final shot of the “traditional” nuthatch pose.

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter | Tagged Alexandria VA, Canon 50D, Nuthatch, Runnymeade, Sitta carolinensis, Tamron 150-600mm telephoto, white-breasted nuthatch | 10 Comments

10 Responses

on February 23, 2015 at 7:31 am | Reply New Hampshire Garden Solutions

I’ve seen so many shots of these birds upside down that it seems strange now to see one any other way.
You got some nice shots of him!
on February 23, 2015 at 11:58 am | Reply Lyle Krahn

I wonder what the attraction is to being upside down?
- on February 23, 2015 at 8:24 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  I hope you noted, Lyle, that Sue of Backyard Biology came to my rescue and provided an explanation for the nuthatch’s upside down preference.
  - on February 24, 2015 at 12:49 am Lyle Krahn
    
    Thanks. It makes perfect sense that she would know.
on February 23, 2015 at 2:13 pm | Reply GarryRogers

Fun to watch.
on February 23, 2015 at 5:29 pm | Reply Sue

Mike, I hope you don’t mind my jumping in here, but here’s an answer to Lyle’s question. It’s all about exploiting a hidden food source in a different way. https://bybio.wordpress.com/2012/11/21/upside-down-bird/
- on February 23, 2015 at 8:22 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks for jumping in, Sue. I didn’t have any explanation on the behavior, but I am not surprised that you knew why the nuthatches like the upside view of the world.
on February 23, 2015 at 7:48 pm | Reply Birder's Journey

Such a sweet little bird!
on February 23, 2015 at 7:59 pm | Reply Bella Remy Photography

He’s so adorable !
on February 23, 2015 at 9:33 pm | Reply krikitarts

I love nuthatches! How could one not? They seem to be able to do Fred Astaire dances vertically on the trees. How I wish I could do that!