White Breasted Nuthatch hunting for food in crevices of tree bark is their natural method of finding food. Very woodpecker-like they mostly feed upside down. This time of year they are getting more active. In the background you can hear a very excitable Titmouse and a Hummingbird and a special surprise at the end!
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A White Breasted Nuthatch - the Backyard curmudgeon - takes his unwillingness to share food out on my camera lens which must look like another nuthatch and a poor, but determined, Dark-Eyed Junco who keeps trying to snatch a quick meal.
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Welcome to Backyard Birding ....and Beyond! Sharing original videos of birds, wildlife and Nature observed in the backyard and in my travels. New HD videos are uploaded weekly. Subscribe, comment and share the love of Nature! Adventure is as near as the Backyard! Backyard Birder (BB)
White Breasted Nuthatch and Downy Woodpecker Feeding Techniques
Nice example of the foraging differences between Downy Woodpeckers and White Breasted Nuthatches filmed at the same time. The Downy Woodpecker works the heavily barked Black Cherry Tree head-up using its stiff tail for a brace. The White Breasted Nuthatch works the bark head-down relying not on its tail for support - (obviously as it is upside down) - but rather its strong grip on the bark. The Nuthatch has a different perspective and easier access to bugs that the woodpecker might miss. In this case I have smeared suet into the deep bark and the Nuthatch then proceeds to land on the camera and wipe its greasy beak on it. Two great birds often seen together in hardwood forest.
Every once in awhile Nature blesses one with the unusual and unexpected. Such was the case on a recent field trip into the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina.
On October 14th I was having some fun with young Red Squirrels and Chipmunks by placing a little bird seed mix on a large fallen Black Cherry log next to an Eastern Hemlock Tree on a steep bank beside a small stream at the edge of dense forest behind the cabin. The chipmunks and squirrels were fast learners and in relatively short order a Black-Capped Chickadee and a Tufted Titmouse found the seed and started making frequent trips back and forth to the log.
I was filming this routine action just for fun when suddenly a male White-Breasted Nuthatch landed center stage in the middle of the log and put on a continuous two-plus minute "dance" - or ballet if you will - to scare off chipmunks to the left and right and a red squirrel on the Hemlock just in front of him that was simply incredible. It's purpose was to make himself look big and scary no doubt - much like our Screech Owls do at times when confronted with a threat.
Well it worked, for over two minutes as the film rolled this little Nuthatch put on quite a show that had elements of a defensive and a courtship dance while the furry mammals watched, no doubt in amazement, from the cheap seats. Towards the end of the dance the Nuthatch appears to get a bit tired - it was quite a physical dance with its long legs pushing hard against its tail feathers to anchor himself to the log and then sway and sashay around the log. It is certainly a strong little bird and more beautiful than many people give it credit for. Incredibly it did the performance for the reward of exactly one sunflower seed!
After it left a Chickadee made a quick grab at a seed and the chipmunk and squirrel were just getting ready to return when the Nuthatch came back and scared them off again with a brief display and a quick seed grab. After that the Nuthatch never returned and the mammals came back to finish off the seed. Probably a one-in-a-million performance!
I will never forget this little bird that put on one of the most amazing and unexpected dance performances. I was able to capture the complete two-minute "ballet" from arrival to departure and as near as I can tell there is no other such complete and extended footage on the "web". It illustrates the under-appreciated beauty, grace, strength, and character of the White-Breasted Nuthatch. This little bird shows how nature is always full of surprises for even the most jaded observers.
