White Breasted Nuthatch conducts the "Chipmunk Christmas Choir" in a rousing rendition of "We Wish You A Merry Christmas" beneath the town square Hemlock Tree. The Peanut Gallery - er "audience" is the forest squirrels. There is a special guest appearance by Chickadees whose singing upsets Mr. Nuthatch! Have a great Holiday Season!
In the spirit of Thanksgiving Dinner here is a short video of an Eastern Chipmunk in the Great Smoky Mountains literally "stuffing its face" to capacity. It can only gather so much by the traditional "vacuming" method so get as full a load as possible before returning to the den it forces more food in with it's front paws. They will have the last laugh though in the cold winter months when they are snug and warm beside their larder.
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.
You can't get much mellower or relaxing than Rabbits and Chipmunks, but somehow this foursome manages to bump noses and then panic ensues. The Chipmunks pretty much steal the show at the end - watch and have a chuckle!
