Red-Breasted Nuthatch

This tiny but bold species is a regular visitor to my feeders. I almost got one to land on my hand to take a sunflower seed but it changed its mind at the last second. They allow us to get very close to them.

They are so comical the way they hang upside down and sideways as they sort through the sunflower seeds. If a seed is not to their liking they promptly throw it out and choose another. I have to chuckle at their persnickety nature.

Nuthatches are able to cling to almost every surface at every angle. They circle around tree trunks and underneath branches in search of food. They also jam sunflower seeds into bark crevices then hammer them open with their bills to get to the heart. I often find sunflower hulls in the bark of the Norway Maple that holds my main feeder.


We also see the White-Breasted Nuthatch but I have yet to successfully capture one with my camera. They aren't very tolerant of me being close to them.