Sunday, December 8, 2013

Brown-headed Nuthatch

I am linking up with Wild Bird Wednesday and Nature Notes

December 10, 2013

The Brown-headed Nuthatch is usually seen in the pine forests of the Southeastern United States. It's sharp beak is a tool to dig for the insects.  The Brown-headed Nuthatch and the Pygmy Nuthatch are the two smallest of the worlds Nuthatch Species.



There are four species of Nuthatches in the US. I have seen three of them, this Brown-headed Nuthatch, the Red Breasted Nuthatch and the White Breasted Nuthatch.. I am missing the Pygmy Nuthatch, somehow and someday I hope to add the Pygmy Nuthatch to my lifelist.  This is a link to one of my other Nuthatches post


For comparison, above is a mosaic showing  both the Red-breasted Nuthatch and the White-breasted Nuthatch in my backyard.


While walking on the trail at the Cape Henlopen State Park in Delaware we noticed 5-6 of these cuties all poking around the same tree. It was hard to focusing on one of the Nuthatches while they were all moving about the tree limb.






I hope you enjoyed seeing my cute Brown-headed Nuthatches.. Thanks for visiting my post and for the nice comments.

 I am starting a new MEME called Saturday Critters..early on Saturday Mornings ...join in with the party and post your cute critters.

Join in and post your birdies and to see more beautiful and wonderful bird photos please visit:
 Stewart's Wild Bird Wednesday and Michelle's  Nature Notes.  Thanks to our host Michelle our host Stewart.  Happy Birding and have a wonderful week!

47 comments:

DeniseinVA said...

I never knew of a Brown-headed Nuthatch before. Great photos again Eileen. Enjoy your day and stay safe in all that snow.

Phil Slade said...

Lovely comparison shots of the nuthatches Eileen. I never heard of Brown-headed Nuthatch either. I hope you get your Pygmy Nuthatch soon.

Re the painted sheep. The local farmers have to dye the animals with different schemes so that if the sheep get mixed up on the marshes the farmers can separate them. Occasinally there is a bit of rustling goes on if sheep aren't marked. All good fun.

aspiritofsimplicity said...

We had nuthatches in a home we once lived in. But, now that we are on an island I don't see them. I'm sure they must be somewhere on the island though.

Ramakrishnan said...

Great pictures of this charming bird !

Stewart M said...

Nice little birds. We had nuthatches in our gardens in the UK. I like them!

Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

PS: my kids do look pretty good if you ask me, they take after their mum!

Hootin Anni said...

Awesome Eileen. They're so cute!

~✽Mumsy✽~ said...

Thank you for introducing me to another type of birds..I will be looking for this.

Beautiful photos!

Carole M. said...

they're a delightful little bird and you got some lovely captures Eileen

Jo said...

I really enjoyed seeing your Nuthatches, Eileen. The Red-breasted Nuthatch looks a lot like our Robin-chats - the same coloring and dark eye stripe. Have a great day. Jo

Leora said...

How delightful - love watching the little nuthatch flying off.

Optimistic Existentialist said...

I always love seeing Nuthatches at the feeder :)

EG CameraGirl said...

Well, I know of the white-breasted and red-breasted nuthatches but the brown0headed variety is new to me! I need to escape Ontario for a few days, me thinks! ;)

DIMI said...

Hello Eileen!!I hope you're safe having so much snow!!!Wonderful pictures!!Beautiful winter birds!!Oh,i love your header!!!Have a warm and safe day!!Hugs!!
Dimi...

Elizabeth Edwards said...

i love the nuthatch. so pretty.

we continue to have this bird on the deck ... a brown head & feather too. maybe a bit of white or tans. so fluffy. i think because it is so cold he puffs out his feathers. i wish i knew what he was. he won't stay put for a picture. silly dude. ( :

Arija said...

What a sweetie he is! Lovely shots and so nice to see the scale comparison.

Montanagirl said...

I've never seen one - but how cute they are!

The Furry Gnome said...

I've never seen one. Thanks for filling me in.

Noushka said...

Really interesting this Brown-headed nuthatch!
I believe we only have one species in France... lucky you!!!
I have spent one hour in garden waiting to see if one would show up but it didn't; maybe it is still too warm with temperatures about 12/13°C.
Cheers Eileen!

Pallavi said...

Splendid photos and such beautiful little nuthatches . Hope you are having a splendid day Eileen :)

Karen said...

Oh they are so cute! Lovely captures Eileen. I have only seen the Red-breasted Nuthatch.

Mersad said...

The second shot with the collage is so pretty!

Our Neck of the Woods said...

They are very cute! I'm always impressed by your knowledge of birds :)

George said...

I hope you do get photos of that fourth nuthatch, but your photos of the other three are marvelous.

mick said...

A great series of photos - I especially like the one with the bird against the blue sky.

Pat said...

The nuthatches are fascinating little birds. Great post.

Unknown said...

great phots once again...thanks for sharing

Stephanie said...

Super shots!

Rohrerbot said...

No way!!! You lucky person you! It's funny because it's opposite for me.....I have the other three...pygmy, wb and rb nuthatches. The Pygmy is interesting here. It's found on certain mountain ranges around Tucson.....but not all. If you ever come to visit Tucson with your hubby, I'd love to help you find them. Today's nuthatch would be an exciting find for me:)

Corner Gardener Sue said...

I enjoyed seeing your awesome photos! We need to be getting our feeders filled now that there is snow out there.

Brian King said...

Really nice photos! I've seen the White-breasted Nuthatch, but it's been a long time. They used to come to the feeders.

Betsy Banks Adams said...

I love seeing those little Nuthatches. They are such adorable little birds. We only have the white-breasted ones here (at least that I have seen)--but we have plenty of them year-round.

Had a nice service for Dad Adams yesterday --and got to see many old friends and family members. We also enjoyed a family lunch together. Dad is in a better place now… Thanks be to God.
Hugs
Betsy

Unknown said...

Wonderful shots of this cute little bird! Have a happy day!

Irma said...

These are really great pictures of the nuthatches, Eileen.

Bob Bushell said...

You're lucky, we have just one. Beautiful photos.

Maria said...

This bird has so many curious poses.

Small City Scenes said...

Such sweet birds. I love to watch them at my feeders and in the trees. We have the Red-breasted out here. Maybe more but that's the one I have seen. Thanks for showing the others. MB

Zizi Santos said...

Eillen
os pássaros são lindos
linda imagem!
muito próxima!
viver rodeada por pássaros deve ser muito bom!
Zizi

Suzan said...

Thank you Eileen for reminding me to get my -- I call them - sandwich birdfeeders out. Love watching them upside down eating away!!

Sonja said...

Good luck with the Pygmy Nuthatch. It's great to see the different birds in this appealing family.

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

what a sweet little bird! I worry about how all the wild animals are faring with the severe cold we've been having. I know nature helps protect them but it has been such an early and long lasting cold snap!

Debbie said...

Your images are nothing short of amazing!! And the new header is glorious!!!

Ela said...

Very pretty birds! It's great that you feed them :)
Greetings

NatureFootstep said...

I can´t help it but every time I see a nuthatch I smile. I think they should have a very sour neck.

Margaret Birding For Pleasure said...

Hi Eileen. great shot of this lovely little bird.

Anonymous said...

The Nuthatches are lucky to have you for a neighbor.
Fantastic captures as always Eileen. Love your header images.

Rambling Woods said...

I just love nuttys... they have so much personality in a tiny bird.. great photos Eileen... Michelle

Lynne said...

Nice photos . . . thanks for the reminder . . . "refill suet feeders!"

Saturday's Critters! # 575

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