A few weeks ago, I headed out to Jordan Lake in New Hill N.C. to see if I could find any unusual birds that might have been blown in from Hurricane Isaias.
Though I didn’t end up seeing anything out of the ordinary, I did encounter a curious White breasted Nuthatch while I was standing on the Audubon Observation Deck.
Lol, I got lucky in that I was able to catch more than one photo of him right-side-up! Usually these handsome little birds are hanging upside down on a tree trunk.
The White breasted Nuthatch gets its name from its foraging habits of extracting seeds and nuts from their shells. They “hatch” nuts by placing them against trees and then smashing them open with their powerful beaks.
White-Breasted Nuthatches prefer trees with deeply furrowed bark (as they contain more insects) such as: Hickory, Pines and Oak.
They’re also a common backyard feeder visitor here in North Carolina (especially in the wintertime) and besides sunflower will readily eat peanuts, suet, mealworms, and safflower.
What marvelous little birds!
Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the fabulous full frame SLR, the @canonusa
#5Ds