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Posts Tagged ‘Nuthatch’

Acrobatic Nuthatch

Posted in Autumn, Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on November 8, 2018| 1 Comment »

Nuthatches are curious little birds. Most of the time that I spot one, it is climbing head first down the trunk of a tree.

Earlier this week at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, however, I spotted a hyperactive White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis) in the upper branches of a tree. In a series of corkscrewing motions that reminded me of a female gymnast on the uneven parallel bars, the nuthatch made its way up and down and around each of the branches.

If I were an Olympic judge, I would award the acrobatic nuthatch a score of 10 for its brilliant performance.

White-breasted Nuthatch

White-breasted Nuthatch

White-breasted Nuthatch

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Small packages

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged , , , , , , on January 3, 2017| Leave a Comment »

Although it is exciting to capture images of hawks and eagles, I am just as happy to be able to photograph the smaller everyday birds that often move about unnoticed in the trees, like this little White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis) that I spotted this past weekend at Huntley Meadows Park.

White-breasted Nuthatch

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Nuthatch in February

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged , , , , , , on February 23, 2015| 10 Comments »

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.

White-breasted NuthatchWhite-breasted NuthatchWhite-breasted Nuthatch

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Nuthatch in winter

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, Portraits, wildlife, Winter, tagged , , , , , , on January 25, 2014| 18 Comments »

I didn’t think that there were many birds in my suburban neighborhood at this time of the year, so I was pleasantly surprised to see a number of different species during a post-snowstorm walk, including this White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis). For most of hte time that I was observing it, the nuthatch was in the typical head-down position, but it finally turned its head to the side and I got this shot.

nuthatch1_blog

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved

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Different species—same pose

Posted in animals, Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , , on December 21, 2012| 4 Comments »

Have you ever looked at your photos and realized that you captured two very different species in similar poses?

When I was reviewing my photos from this morning, I realized that a White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis) and an Eastern Gray Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) had each assumed the same pose as I photographed them. Strangely enough, they happened to be on the same tree at slightly different times.

I like how the lightness of the background matches the coloration of the bird. It wasn’t that long ago that I saw my first nuthatch, and I continue to be amazed by their acrobatic behavior and incredible flexibility. Imagine trying to hold yourself in a position like this!

White-breasted Nuthatch

White-breasted Nuthatch

The squirrel seems to be hyper-focused and intense, scanning his surroundings and ready to move at the sign of any danger. There are only a limited number of colors in this photo and I like it so much that I considered posting it separately with a title of Study in Gray and Brown.

Eastern Gray Squirrel

Eastern Gray Squirrel

The poses of the two wild creatures are similar, but their individual characteristics and the different color palettes of the two photos give each of the two images a distinctive feel.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved

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Not a Cerulean Warbler, but a Nuthatch

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on September 18, 2012| 6 Comments »

Birds were out this past Monday and once again I went through the mostly frustrating process of trying to get some shots. I managed to get this unintentionally soft-focused image that I like. The angle of the shot is strange and the bird seems almost distorted, possibly because of the way in which he is sticking out his neck, but I love the blue markings on the wings. The blue color, in fact, helped me to identify the bird as most likely a Cerulean Warbler (Setophaga cerulea) for it turns out that there are not that many blue-colored birds.

UPDATE: Joel Eagle has corrected my false identification. It’s a Nuthatch, not a Cerulean Warbler. The name may not be as cool-sounding, but the bird is still as beautiful. Check out Joel’s blog “Pops & Mojo Photos” for some wonderful insect photos (and birds too).

Nuthatch

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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