We get White-breasted Nuthatches year round here in Michigan. They are energetic little birds with just the right amount of attitude. A five year old was watching me draw while I was waiting for my kids at karate. I asked her if she knew what kind of bird it was. She looked at the sketch and the photo that I took in the backyard, and quickly said, “That is a Bluebird.” Ha! Well in a way she was right on the money. There is no denying that it is a “blue bird.” OK… maybe more “blue-grey”, but there is a lot of blue in there. After she said that I keep noticing just how bluish they really are. Kids really make you see things in different ways.
We have ton of feeders around the house. Most of them are located by the kitchen window where we homeschool. Last week the local Cooper’s Hawk came in to dine on the birds at our feeder. Most of the potential victims exploded off in every direction to escape. Two birds didn’t manage to quite get away. A chickadee flew toward out window and ended up grabbing onto the screen, and a female White-breasted Nuthatch stayed frozen on the log I have drilled out and filled with suet. The Cooper’s followed some of the birds to the white spruce only 15 feet away. The two birds kept motionless for what seemed an eternity. Finally, the chickadee couldn’t hold onto the screen anymore, gave up and flew off to safety while the Cooper’s looked the other way. That little nuthatch looked like she was stuffed and stapled to the log, not moving a millimeter. Eventually the Cooper’s gave up and flew off. The nuthatch was not about to be easily fooled! Minutes later, birds started to return to the feeder now that the threat was long gone, yet that little nuthatch stayed plastered to the log for about twenty minutes before it shot away. It pays to be safe.
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