I have seen nuthatches here before. I have become fascinated by the smaller Brown-headed Nuthatch, Sitta pusilla.
Since most of my birding days have been in northern or western climates this is a relatively new bird for me.

This little nuthatch is more the size of a chickadee than the white-breasted nuthatch that I am more familiar with.  It favors pine forests in the Southeast US.  There are about 5 tall pine trees in my neighbor’s yard and one snag that once was a water oak. I believe it is nesting in one of the cavities in the snag. 

According to the information at All About Birds, the Cornell University site, 

The Brown-headed Nuthatch may sleep in a tree cavity or in the open on pine branches. The female or the breeding pair roosts in the nest cavity before the eggs are laid and throughout the nestling period.

They also may share their nest space with other brown-headed nuthatches, though no one knows yet if they are last year’s young or how they are connected.  

I found it fascinating to learn that they sometimes will use a small piece of bark to life another section of barck in search of food. I have observed other nuthatches stuffing sunflower seeds into cracks of tree bark as a food cache so this makes sense to me too.  I also like the fact that they are so close I do not even need to use binoculars for a terrific view.

Then I thought. A tiny glimpse of some of the content might coax some folks to join our group of eager birders. So I am putting part of one lesson here. The colorful video part. Not the narrative.

You see each lesson has some online parts to make the best use of the resources available to all of us. The course is interactive and I respond to questions posed by participants. I have been told this is worth way more than what I am charging. ( FREE).

And direct feedback from some of the articles I am using for the course is exceptionally positive. Take a look at this and think about it.
You can opt-out if you are already getting too many emails. This will come to you once a week or every ten days depending on the content. Sign up in the little box or here.

My rufus colored hawk was, as I guessed, a red shouldered hawk. And It felt good to identify it from previous study of my birding guides.

The second hawk was most likely an immature red-shouldered hawk, having been seen so close to the other bird and so similar in size and body shape. Its eye stripe was distinctive and I found that interesting.

So, my current and best online source is Cornell University online. And I am not surprised. For decades they have been the bird experts. And it is terrific to be ranking so well with them in the search engines.

The Audubon Society has an annual Christmas Bird Count and has had one for more than 100 years.
In the old days, the birds had to be CAPTURED. Now they are seen and heard and photographed. This is a much more sane approach to bird conservation.

You can participate even if you are a brand new bird-watcher trying out your new bird binoculars!

Three things for you to note here.
1. Register ahead of time to get involved with a count near your location.

2. Be prepared with your bird binoculars in good condition and your latest or most favorite birding guide.

3. Dress for the weather! Be prepared.

Now if you have NO CLUE what I am talking about here, the time period for the Christmas Bird count runs from Dec 14th to January 5th. You can be a backyard birder or a professional. You can be on a team of experienced birders, depending on your location.

What is the purpose? It links Science and people in a very proactive way. People Collect data and it is analyzed for getting a better understanding of the health of the bird populations AND the health of the planet.

Here are two samples of that kind of data. This is about the American Kestrel, a terrific little hawk.

And this is an overview of how the Christmas Bird Count (CBC) helps birds and in the long run, helps people.

So clean your binoculars and make sure the straps are sturdy. Refresh your memory about which birds are found in your region and go forth to bird this season as part of a science team gathering vital data about birds in your locale.

Details: Observed in western PA in the Allegheny Mountains in an open field in late October, 2008.

A pair of Red Tail Hawks soaring overhead while I set up my tiny tent between two large bales of rolled hay.

I took out my compact Bushnell binoculars from my pocket to confirm their identification. I silently sent them a “message” – Okay beautiful birds, I know this is Your dinner table but it is my place to sleep for the next few days, so let’s not make it an issue, ok? They continued to circle oblivious to my silent plea for a truce.

The next morning before I crawled out of my tent, of course I LOOKED out the windows. Observed 4 deer (all does) feeding about 50 feet away and my hawks were not yet stirring in the sky.

I stayed in the tent until the fog cleared to let the deer feed longer, so I quietly packed up my gear, glancing out the windows now and then.

After it warmed up and the deer moved on, I began to carry my gear to the car in small bundles. That was about 11 AM and bright and sunny.

I glanced overhead in response to a keening call from a hawk. And was I ever surprised. The red-tail was chasing and harrassing a HUGE bird. (Note to non-birders- Red tail Hawks are BIG birds.) My first thought was “My gosh Red is chasing a golden eagle!” I ducked behind the hay bales and scurried back to the tent for my binoculars to confirm my ridiculous siting.

As I grabbed my compact Bushnells, I said to myself,” Duh, Golden Eagles don’t LIVE here!” Now flat on the ground I rolled over for a better view and confirmed it was a indeed a red-tail hawk harassing a JUVENILE BALD EAGLE right out of its territory. The juvenile persisted for a while and made some large circles around the field perhaps 100 ft overhead.

The hawk persisted in chasing, calling and harassing until finally with the flick of a wing feather the juvenile bald eagle left the scene. The hawk returned to the treeline and I rolled over in the grass, stunned and thrilled by this early morning wild-life show.

Cheers for vacation time! Thanks Birds!

So which one did YOU choose as the winner?

Red-tailed Hawk

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