The winter has been cold and snowy enough to keep our bird feeders hopping, especially before and after storms. Most wildlife species are attuned to changes in weather and know when to eat hearty or take shelter for energy conservation. I have been watching one bird in particular, a snappy dresser and one determined little fellow.
The red-breasted nuthatch, Sitta canadensis, is an energetic songbird of coniferous forests, known for its metallic calls and impressive skill in walking headfirst down tree trunks. Smaller than the white-breasted nuthatch, what it lacks in size it makes up for in tenacious personality. The pecking order at bird feeders is normally driven by size, but a bold little nuthatch is goal-driven and persists until he gets the seed.
Just over 4 inches long, this nuthatch defines “diminutive,” weighing a fraction of an ounce, about the same as an AA battery. The bird is easily identified by its distinctive color pattern, starting with a blue-gray back and wings. Most prominent is the rust-colored underbelly. The head features a black stripe running through the eye, between a white eyebrow (called a supercilium) and a white throat. The tiny bill is sharp and slightly upturned, adapted for prying seeds from cones or plucking insects from bark crevices.
Primarily a bird of the north and the mountains, the nuthatch is a year-round resident in boreal forests far into Canada and the coniferous stretches of the Rockies and Appalachians. However, the red-breasted nuthatch is also known for “irruptions” in summer and autumn, when seed-bearing cones are sparse. Then the birds migrate south in massive numbers, visiting feeders across the southern U.S. and even northern Mexico.
These little fellows are real acrobats, capable of hopping around trees up, down and sideways. Quite active when foraging, the birds rarely seem to take a break other than to eat a seed for sustenance. Like chickadees, nuthatches are prone to hoarding, repeatedly visiting your feeder and tucking seeds into tiny crevices for future snacks. Their abilities are well suited to snatching insects and spiders during the summer months to feed their young, but in winter they are focused on eating oily black sunflower seeds, suet and nuts.
Red-breasted nuthatches are cavity nesters, favoring holes in dead trees. They are capable of excavating holes themselves, unusual for birds this small. The nuthatch has a clever trick to keep predators away from the nest, with males and females applying gobs of sticky conifer resin around the entrance hole. To avoid getting stuck themselves, the nuthatches fly straight into the nest without landing on the rim.
Breeding takes place from May through July, depending upon latitude and the elevation of the nest site. The female lays from five to eight tiny eggs, creamy white with red or lavender spots. The male brings food to his mate during brooding, and both adults feed their young until the birds are independent.
While some bird species are benefiting from a warming climate by expanding their ranges northward, the red-breasted nuthatch is expanding to the south and is found in all Maine counties. This is probably driven by reforestation efforts that increase the presence of conifers in mixed forests or suburban plantings. Recent breeding bird surveys in other New England states have shown significant population gains for this nuthatch, and I look forward to the results of the five-year Maine Breeding Bird Survey later this year.
For birdwatchers, the red-breasted nuthatch is a delight to observe, partly because they are more comfortable around humans than most other birds, especially when food is on hand. Once you learn to identify their nasal “yank-yank-yank” call, you can pause what you are doing and enjoy the presence of this charismatic little beauty.
Tick update
It’s that time of year again, when we become more active outdoors and face the possibility of tick bites. I will resist taking you through all of the warnings about how to deal with ticks if you promise to review earlier columns in the Anchor or on the Harpswell Heritage Land Trust website under the “Nature Notes” heading.
The pharmaceutical company Pfizer has completed a late-stage study of a four-dose Lyme disease vaccine that protects against six strains of the disease. While the study did not achieve all of its goals, the vaccine was safe and 70% effective in preventing disease. Despite uncertainty in the Food and Drug Administration, Pfizer will seek marketing approval.
