New visitors

This is a new couple of birds at my feeder and they aren't in my limited bird book. Can someone identify them for me please?

Thanks in advance.

They are ADORABLE! I have never seen these before, but remind me of Nuthatches.

They are Brown-headed Nuthatchs.

Looks like brown-headed Nuthatches to me.

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Brown-headed_Nuthatch.html

Congratulations 3gardeners! They are such cute birds!

Thanks y'all. After reading the link you sent, I'm curious as to how y'all are familiar with them. It seems as if they are only seen around the southeast.

Like I said, they are new to me, and I am very happy to have them. I'll have to be more vigilant with my feeding and make sure they stick around.

Have a great week!

As you can see, I don't even know all the birds in my own back yard, much less at the other end of the continent. Thanks again and I'll think of you this winter if I see them again. :)

We've had another member that posted pics of them before; they sure are cute!

I like Gary just knew it was a nuthatch and went to the Cornell site!

Thanks for sharing your pics, 3gardeners! I usually see the Red-breasted Nuthatch in my neck of the woods.
Nanny, I love to use the Cornell site, also. Very informative. I think I read on there that the Brown-headed Nuthatch was on a Watchlist of some kind? I wonder if this sighting needs to be reported to the Audubon Society?

If so, let me know what to do. I don't know anything about that sort of stuff.

3 gardeners... I have several in my backyard here in Lawrenceville. They're a lot of fun to watch... I like to listen to them chatter to each other. They come in several at a time to drink or eat... this summer, I had probably 6 of them come to the ant moat above my hummingbird feeder and two were on the moat drinking, two were on the hook waiting their turn and two more were on the branch just cussing at them all to hurry up! And they're such acrobats.... they way they climb head first down trees.

Here is a link about the Watchlist. Both the Brown-headed and the Pygmy Nuthatch are on it. It gives information on what to do.



http://audubon2.org/watchlist/viewSpecies.jsp?id=41

After learning about my special little brown-headed nuthatches (special and new to me and my backyard) I didn't see them again and was so worried they had just passed through because my offerings weren't good enough. BUT, just the other day I saw the couple jumping about from feeder to feeder! I am so happy to have them. I don't know if they are here for good or if they are just here for the fall and winter or what, but I sure am happy to see them again!

Isn't it funny how we just love the uncommon, whatever that happens to be. :-)

That's what makes it all so interesting and fun! :)

Glad to here they are still there. According to my Sibley book they are there year round!

I've only seen one of my Brown-headed nuthatches at my feeders in the last few days. They always come feed together. I'm afraid one of my neighbors cats may have gotten it. Pooky (the cat) is always hanging around for the sport of it, and I recently saw some near misses.

If one of the pair is now gone, what will the other do with it's life since only the two were living around here?

I could pinch Pooky. It had to be one of the nuthatches that could not find another friend.

He might find another partner and bring him to your area if he feels safe enough.

Do you know who Pooky belongs to?

Pooky belongs to my friend. And my kids love him. But he's a born hunter. His "brother", Buddy, hangs around over here too. But he isn't very interested in hunting. Sometimes, in the summer, I'll see Pooky with a mole or chipmonk or some other rodent in his mouth every day for a week or two. Sometimes he get's bored and just lets them go. I'd pelt him with a pebble or two with a sling shot if I was able, but I don't have one, and I'd never hit him anyway. I wouldn't want to hurt him, but I'd love to make it where he wouldn't want to come back.
Anyway, that's not my focus. I'm worried about my poor little, lone nuthatch. I keep hoping that maybe the other is just hanging back for some reason. I haven't actually sat out there for a couple hours straight. I'm holding out hope. I'm going to sit vigil tomorrow. Plus, I'm going to hang bells everywhere I can think of. But I have to make sure there's no string for my birds to get tangled in. I feel so guilty that I didn't take measures to protect them before. Poor guy, or girl. :-( I wish I could do something for it.

Well, you know my white-breasted nuthatches rarely come to the feeders together (but sometimes do), so maybe there are still two.

This is the first year I have seen the brownheaded nuthatches. I think I have seen three at one time, but they are quick and quite hard to count. I have a lot more of the white breasted ones.

There's been a bit of discussion in NJ about the lack of White-breasted Nuthatches.

We call them redbreasted nuthatch.
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Red-breasted_Nuthatch.html

This message was edited Feb 3, 2009 9:57 AM

arejay, the Red-breasted Nuthatch is a different species of nuthatch. Note the stripe through the eye. Only the red-breasted has that, by the way.

Here is info on the Brown-headed http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Brown-headed_Nuthatch.html

This has been my first year too JulieQ. They arrived in August. I was so excited. Now I wish they had stayed away since it appears one may have falled prey to Pooky. I have no proof of that though. Pooky may be getting a bum rap. I've never actually seen him with a bird. Just VERY, VERY close to catching a bird a couple of times, always standing vigil and at the ready, and many, many times with small rodents in his jaws.

Even though the two of them use to always feed together (see my photo at the top) only one has been showing up to eat in the last week or so. I keep hoping the other is just doing it's on thing, but I know deep down that something has happened to it. Maybe more will move into the area for this one that has been left alone.

I do have one or two White-breasted nuthatches. I haven't counted them. They come in singles, so I haven't really payed close attention. I don't have any red-breasted nuthatches. They look cute too.

Mine seem to take turns. As soon as one gets his boss and leaves another is there. Most times they are too quick to get a good pic. My deedees exibit the same behavior except in the spring when they bring their offspring to the feeders. Here is a nuthatch from last month

I wish I could convince my self of that. Bu from August until a week ago they always ate together. I have taken about 20 photos of them on the different feeders side by side. And that's ranginging from August through January.
Could someone please give me a good reason to expect them to be taking turns right now? Maybe preparing for babies in early spring? I don't know about their reproductive cycle. Do they have more than one set of babies that would require an early nest prep.? That might in turn require alternating their feeding, even though these two have always fed together before? I'm reaching here I know.
I'm going to take a good look at the while spot on the nape of the neck and see if I can notice any subtle difference to tell me that they could possibly be two different birds. I keep holding out hope.

Do you have mature pine trees close? I see them year round because my neighborhood has mixed trees with a good percentage of older pines. There are even some pines with dead tops and cavities for nesting.

I have plenty of mature pine trees for nesting. The central mature tree that the feeders suround is a mature pine. The spend most of their time in it. Is it time for them to be thinking about getting ready for nesting?

Bell the cat!

Hmm thank you Nanny now I'm going to have to go through my pictures and see which I have Grampa H told me they were red breasted. He is 83 so I didnt question it.