Nuthatches!

I think that the most regal bird in Maryland (this is arguable of course) is the Cedar Waxwing. It perches like it rules the world, with all of its subtle coloration and its tail tips that look as if they were tipped in a bucket of yellow paint. Yes it is a beautiful bird but it is not a Nuthatch.

The Whitebreasted Nuthatch stalks the tree trunk from top to bottom then back to the top. It seeks it prey and sustenance upside down and it is a finicky eater. At the feeder it discards to the ground, the offal that it will not eat. There it is for the Mourning Doves and Juncos and Song Sparrows that seek their own sustenance on the ground.

The Nuthatch has its own bearing. It flies so swiftly from a trunk to a feeder or another trunk and it really does not linger. It determines the efficacy of its place pretty quickly; it departs if not satisfied very quickly.

Its smaller cousin the Redbreasted Nuthatch has the same feeding habits. It does not dally long where it is not sated. The Redbreasted has the noted eye streaks that immediately identify and distinguish it from its larger cousin but they both seem to see the world prettily similar. They make their moves quickly. They are very businesslike in feeding. They are picky eaters. The nuts and raisins please them and the little seeds do not. They also like the suet.

Nuthatches only come into view in my yard during the cold and not every cold. In 2007 they teemed, both species from about November until the spring but it has been a rare one that I have witnessed until this fall when both appear with some regularity for the last few months.

Last spring I chopped down many very ugly Yew Trees that populated the yard and were damaged by last year’s winter storms. I have used the stalks in an attempt to re-establish the canopy that was my back yard porch. I say re-establish because last winter, our massive snowfall collapsed the roof that I had then. My plan is to re-establish that canopy with ivy and I am using Yew Stalks in an effort to do that. They are filled with prey for the Nuthatches. I can see both species now (after a 3 year gap) regularly exploring the Yew Stalks and flitting so quickly to the feeder to selectively pick their food and toss to the ground that which displeases them. I would not accept that sort of fussiness in a human. I would avoid such a person but I enjoy seeing it in my Nuthatches.