Red-breasted Nuthatch
“Less common of the two nuthatches that breed in Cape, the exceedingly active, Red-breasted Nuthatch is a scrappy little bird that gleans its way up and down tree trunks and branches searching for arachnids and insects.”
Through the year
Columns that mention it, by the month they were published.
Year by year
Columns that mention it each year.
In his words
Ten of the 34 passages, oldest first.
Purple Finches and Red-breasted Nuthatches have been noticably absent when compared to this time last year.
At least two Red-breasted nuthatches were seen (by my wife) within the old strands of white pine that meander through the land to be Robinson Woods III.
Also, Red-eyed Vireos and Red-breasted Nuthatches visited our backyard patch on multiple occasions.
Notable mentioning’s over the first two weeks of October include a close encounter between a Pileated Woodpecker and a Belted Kingfisher within “Robinson Woods III”, a Barred Owl calling before dusk almost every night in Robinson Woods I, a slight uptick in Red-breasted Nuthatches and Blackpoll Warblers high and low.
With November upon us the increased number of red-breasted nuthatches and slight uptick in purple finches is perhaps a harbinger of what is yet to come.
The following day I saw a Veery (thrush) and one of my favorites, a Red-breasted Nuthatch.
The report now also includes three non-finch passerines whose populations intensify periodically as well - Blue Jays, Bohemian Waxwings and Red-breasted Nuthatches.
Other noteworthy mentionings in February: a Red-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, a male and female Carolina Wren, and a solitary Pine Siskin all in the same old Crab apple tree in my yard on February 24.
The following morning while relishing in the arrival of two Red-breasted nuthatches, I caught a glimpse of the towhee before it was spooked back into the overgrown margins of my yard.
On the morning of July 3 five fledgling Baltimore Orioles and a Red-breasted Nuthatch managed to find room on our suet cage and were surrounded by an entourage of crying young - in particular, Red-bellied and Hairy Woodpeckers, Blue Jays and Tufted Titmice.
Show all 34 passages
Additionally, a leucitic female Cardinal that first showed up over a year ago still visits our backyard regularly and on December 10 the first Red-breasted Nuthatch of the season appeared on our suet.
Other mentionables include: on May 1 along the back trail of Crescent Beach State Park, a single Blue-gray Gnatcatcher and Red-breasted Nuthatch.
Additionally, on July 4 a Red-breasted Nuthatch and Northern Flicker were dining together on suet in our yard while a Red-eyed Vireo sang high above in a White Oak Tree.
On the southwest side of the island’s woods I came upon four Red-breasted Nuthatches and a Red-eyed Vireo travelling together.
Less common of the two nuthatches that breed in Cape, the exceedingly active, Red-breasted Nuthatch is a scrappy little bird that gleans its way up and down tree trunks and branches searching for arachnids and insects.
The leisurely pace of fall migration continued on 9/23 with a single male Rose-Breasted Grosbeak showing up at our backyard feeder along with two Red-breasted Nuthatches.
In the first week of December, I was delighted to see three Red-breasted Nuthatches, a Northern Flicker and an Eastern Bluebird on my tail prop suet station.
In the first few weeks of January, I am thankful for many things, including the fine sweet trill of Red-breasted Nuthatches…
Red-breasted Nuthatches, Golden-crowned Kinglets and Brown Creepers were abundant in the park’s forested sections.
The following day two Broad-winged Hawks circled high above our house while two Red-breasted nuthatches went about their business in an old crab apple tree.
Lastly, on August 6 a male Baltimore Oriole, two Grey Catbirds and two Red-breasted Nuthatches dined together on suet in my backyard while the chattering silhouettes of Chimney Swifts crisscrossed the open sky.
On this same outing I also heard the tin trumpet calls from more than a few Red-breasted Nuthatches interwoven with the nearly constant, fine, nasal twitterings of their distant, White-breasted cousins.
Other noteworthy mentionings from the yard and field include - on the first day of July, three young, Red-breasted Nuthatches that had been regulars on our suet for the last two months moved on.
Less common of the two nuthatches that breed in Cape, the exceedingly active, Red-breasted Nuthatch is a scrappy little bird that gleans its way up and down tree trunks and branches searching for arachnids and insects.
Lastly, on the morning of September 23 a handsome male Rose-Breasted Grosbeak briefly showed up at our backyard feeder along with a pair of Red-breasted Nuthatches.
I also noted a pair of both Red-breasted Nuthatches and Ruby-crowned Kinglets travelling together.
In early January, I am thankful for many things, including but not limited to, the fine sweet trill of a Red-breasted Nuthatch, the thin, silvery calls of Golden-crowned Kinglets deep within the forest, the way a Brown Creeper’s song calls to mind pine boughs sighing in the wind…
Lastly, on the warm late afternoon of August 11, several noisy Common Grackles along with a male Baltimore Oriole, two Gray Catbirds and a Red-breasted Nuthatch gathered at the suet feeder in my backyard.
Less common than its White-breasted cousin, the Red-breasted Nuthatch is a spirited, agile bird that scurries up and down trunks and branches, gleaning arachnids and insects with tireless energy.
Other noteworthy mentionings in the forecast include Red-breasted Nuthatches and Bohemian Waxwings.
Along the shore, I found a lingering Yellow-rumped Warbler and the inland forest was alive with Red-breasted Nuthatches.
In my backyard a Palm Warbler, a Red breasted Nuthatch, and a Red bellied Woodpecker fed together on suet, their colors catching the setting sun, while White throated, Chipping and Song Sparrows scratched and gave chase below.
On one occasion, a female Baltimore Oriole and a Red-bellied Woodpecker dined side by side while a Gray Catbird and a Red-breasted Nuthatch waited, with surprising patience, for their turns.
It has been an exceptional year for the less common of our two breeding nuthatches—the exceedingly active Red breasted Nuthatch.