Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: Sitta

So often, when I take photos deep within a forest or wooded area, my photos don't come out. On this particular day, 30 April 2014, the sun was actually shining right down on this little male Red-breasted Nuthatch who flew down to someone's hand (not MY hand). It's always such a thrill to have any wild bird on ones hand, whether it is a friendly little Black-capped Chickadee, a Boreal Chickadee, a Red- or a White-breasted Nuthatch, or even a little Downy Woodpecker - which feels amazing! Taken when I was on a morning walk with friends at South Glenmore Park. We walk down along the edge of the Glenmore Reservoir towards Weaselhead, then up through the forest and back along the top, paved pathway to the parking lot. Usually, pretty well all the birds we see are very, very distant, so I come home with very few photos. This time, I did manage to get this Nuthatch, a distant Loon, and a teeny Boreal Chorus Frog in full croak : ) "The Red-breasted Nuthatch is a small passerine, measuring 4.5 in (11 cm) in length, with a wingspan of 8.5 in (22 cm) and a weight of 9.9 g (0.35 oz). Its back and uppertail are bluish, and its underparts rust-colored. It has a black cap and eye line and a white supercilium (eyebrow). Sexes are similarly plumaged, though females and youngsters have duller heads and paler underparts. The Red-breasted Nuthatch's call is high-pitched, nasal and weak. Transcribed as yenk or ink, they have been likened to a toy tin horn or a child's noisemaker. Its song is a slowly repeated series of clear, nasal, rising notes, transcribed as eeen eeen eeen." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-breasted_Nuthatch www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/red-breasted_nuthatch/id Yesterday, we had around 10" of snow and it's still snowing this morning. The sky is white, so we know there is more to come.

A typical pose from a little White-breasted Nuthatch, taken at Carburn Park on 2 February 2013. This photo kind of reminds me of the very first bird photo I ever took, with my first digital camera (an Olympus C750 ultrazoom), taken on 13 April 2004. I didn't even know what kind of bird this was until I got home and could try and ID it. This first photo became my Flickr icon : ) And so it all started ...... "Nuthatches are active, agile little birds with an appetite for insects and large, meaty seeds. They get their common name from their habit of jamming large nuts and acorns into tree bark, then whacking them with their sharp bill to “hatch” out the seed from the inside. White-breasted Nuthatches may be small but their voices are loud, and often their insistent nasal yammering will lead you right to them .... Like other nuthatches, they often turn sideways and upside down on vertical surfaces as they forage. They don’t lean against their tails the way woodpeckers do." From AllAboutBirds. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-breasted_Nuthatch www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/White-breasted_Nuthatch/id

... two in the bush. Lots of people have the thrill of a little Black-capped Chickadee in their hand, but these little Red-breasted Nuthatches are perhaps even more of a thrill. I've always found that they are so light-weight and dainty compared to many of the Chickadees. For those of you who might be unfamiliar with the Ntuhatches, this is a male because it has a black cap - females have a dark blue-grey cap. Also, the males are a brighter, rich rusty-cinnamon colour than the females. Can't remember whose hand this was, but it was taken on 22 November 2012, at Votier's Flats, Fish Creek Park. Tomorrow (oops, no, the day after tomorrow), the annual Christmas Bird Counts start, the first one being the Banff/Canmore Count. The following day, Sunday, is the annual Calgary Christmas Bird Count, which covers a circle with a 7.5 mile (12km) radius, centred on the Louise (10 St SW) bridge over the Bow River. These long days start at some unearthly hour in the morning (I usually have to set my two alarm clocks and my kitchen timer for about 4:00 a.m. - I usually get to bed between 1:30 a.m. and 2:30 a.m.!) Some Counts involve a lot of driving - we carpool, for which I am truly grateful every time! Others involve hours of walking. These Counts are very valuable, so I try to go on a number of them (maybe 7 or 8?), meaning that I spend the next two and a half weeks functioning rather like an experienced zombie, totally exhausted and sleep-deprived, not to mention that I get little else done till the last Count is over, lol. I might be posting a few photos at all sorts of hours on these days, but as posting images is the last remaining glimmer of self-discipline I have (lol!), I do try to keep it up. Also, any reasonable photos I take are sent to others who either went on the Counts, were unable to go, or are used as a photo record of what species were seen, so I will have to work on those. Christmas??? Did someone say that Christmas is almost here? Where does the time fly? Happy counting to all those of you who will be out from dawn to dusk in the next three weeks! Yay, I've just realized that today is only Thursday, not Friday, so I have a little more time before the madness starts! www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-breasted_Nuthatch/id en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-breasted_Nuthatch Explanation of what the Audubon Christmas Bird Counts are all about: www.birdlife.org/community/2012/12/famous-christmas-bird-...

Hope all my American friends will be lucky enough to be with family and/or friends today, and enjoy a good meal. A special Happy Thanksgiving to all those US servicemen and women (and their families, who also make so many sacrifices), who risk their lives on a daily basis, in order to keep the rest safe and free. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! We have so much to be thankful for, even in the hardest of times. Special thoughts, also, for the people over on the east coast, who have been having such a difficult time due to Hurricane Sandy. Remember to enjoy the small things in life - they tend to be the most important things, too. Please drive safely if you are on the roads. Photographed this little Red-breasted Nuthatch on 20 November 2012, when I was on a three-hour walk with friends at Votier's Flats, Fish Creek Park. Such a dreary morning and with a very unpleasant cold wind ... brrr. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-breasted_Nuthatch/id en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-breasted_Nuthatch