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Posts Tagged ‘creeper’

Late February Brown Creeper

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged , , , , , , on February 26, 2025| 1 Comment »

On Monday I spotted this tiny Brown Creeper (Certhia americana) as it spiraled its way up several trees alongside a trail at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. This little bird was somewhat frenetic in its movements, often disappearing behind the trunk of the tree, but somehow I managed to track it. As you can see from the photo, the creeper blends in well with the tree bark, so movement is key to detecting the bird.

I was happy to capture an image that shows off the creeper’s distinctive bill so well. Brown Creepers use their slender, downcurved bills to probe into crevices and pick at loose bark in search of insects. From what I have observed, creepers almost always move upwards in a tree, while nuthatches seem move only downwards.

Brown Creeper

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Brown Creeper in March

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on March 30, 2023| 7 Comments »

Brown Creepers (Certhia americana) are unusual-looking birds. They are relatively small songbirds (about 5 inches (13 cm) in length) that have long, curved claws and a sharp, curved bill. Their mottled bodies cause them to blend in really well with the bark of the trees on which they are usually found. Even when I manage to spot one, they tend to be in motion all of the time as they spiral their way up the trunk of the tree, making them tough to photograph.

Last week at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge I was thrilled to capture some shots of a Brown Creeper. I was particularly happy that the images show the bird’s distinctive bill and claws. In the middle photo, you can see how the creeper uses its curved bill to poke about in the crevices as it searches for insects, sometimes bracing itself with its stiff tail.

Brown Creeper

Brown Creeper

Brown Creeper

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Brown Creeper in December

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged , , , , , , on December 26, 2021| 7 Comments »

I was delighted last Monday to capture a shot of this energetic little Brown Creeper (Certhia americana) at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. These tiny songbirds move upwards around tree trunks and branches in a spiraling motion as they search for insects. Their mottled plumage helps them to blend in with the bark of the trees, which makes them really tough to spot and to photograph.

Brown Creeper

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Camouflaged creeper

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on March 20, 2019| 5 Comments »

This Brown Creeper (Certhia americana) blended in so perfectly with the tree bark yesterday morning at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge that I don’t think I would have spotted it if it had not been moving. Brown Creepers are small in size, 4.7-5.5 inches in length (12-14 cm) and 0.2-0.3 ounces in weight (10-15 grams, and are in motion almost continuously, which makes them pretty tough to photograph.

If you click on the photos below, you can see some of the cool details of this little bird, like its large feet that aid stability and its slender, curved bill used to probe for bugs in and under the bark.


Brown Creeper

Brown Creeper

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Brown Creeper

Posted in Autumn, Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on December 5, 2018| 7 Comments »

I was quite excited on Monday at Occoquan Bay National Wildife Refuge when this Brown Creeper (Certhia americana) finally let me get a relatively unobstructed shot of it. I had spent quite a while trying to track it as it climbed up and around several trees in a kind of corkscrew pattern.

In the past I have seen this elusive little bird several times, but as far as I know, this is the first time that I have ever gotten a shot of one. The Brown Creeper moves in a pattern that is not at all like any other bird that I have observed. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology website provides the following description of this behavior:

“The Brown Creeper spends most of its time spiraling up tree trunks in search of insects. It holds its short legs on either side of its body, with the long, curved claws hooking into the bark, and braces itself with its long, stiff tail. Both feet hop at the same time, making the bird’s head duck after each hop. Because of its specialized anatomy, the Brown Creeper rarely climbs downward: once high in a tree, it flies down to begin a new ascent at the base of a nearby tree.”

I am happy with this shot, though I must confess that I get a little dizzy if I look at it too long.

Brown Creeper

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

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