Until yesterday I’ve had no luck at all with nuthatches of any species.
But even after taking hundreds of photos of them I didn’t have much luck yesterday either because of extremely challenging light angles, silly mistakes I made and the flittiness of the birds. I swear, because of their habit of staying buried in the trees and their hyperactive tendencies nuthatches are almost as difficult to photograph well as kinglets.
1/1000, f/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
This one had been feeding on seeds from the Douglas Fir cone it’s hanging upside down from. The light wasn’t very good but I was able to take many photos of them in a topsy-turvy pose like this. But I rarely had a good look at their face and eye so this shot stood out for me because of the nice head turn that gave us excellent eye contact, including a catch light.
I’m now highly motivated to try photographing these nuthatches during nesting season for a lot of reasons but one of them stands out. I love interesting behavioral bird photography and nesting adults of this species are well known for gathering and smearing large amounts of conifer resin around the entrance of their nest cavity to deter predators and competitors from entering it. It would be a difficult behavior to photograph well and without disturbing the nesting birds but I’d sure like a chance at it.
I actually had a wonderful opportunity to photograph one of these nuthatches two days ago but I botched it and I did so in spectacular fashion. I had my pickup parked next to this same Doug Fir tree where we could hear and occasionally see nuthatches but they wouldn’t come out to play. Ever! So after consuming more than my quota of coffee and then iced milk to go with my chocolate donut I felt the urgent need to tap my kidneys so I got out of my pickup, stood behind it and began to water the horse.
I’ll bet you can see this coming. During the process of making my bladder gladder and with my camera gear still inside my pickup a truly evil nuthatch chose that moment to land on a Doug Fir cone very close and out in the open to forage for seeds. There was nothing I could do but continue with the.. task.. at.. hand and listen to the multiple bursts from Mia’s camera in the back seat of my truck as I watched the nuthatch perform for her.
It lasted for what seemed like an eternity. I simply could not believe my bad timing and my only consolation was that I finally had an empty tank again.
Ron
My most favorite photo of yours yet!
Great pose! I especially like seeing his right foot hanging on.
That foot grabbed my eye too, Art. Thanks.
A wonderful shot of a lovely bird! Glad you had a second opportunity.
Thank you, Nancy.
Love this acrobatic charmer. And smiling at your evil bladder conspiring with the nuthatch.
Yup, it was a conspiracy! Thanks, EC.
I am impressed you got any photo, much less this really nice one. I usually can’t even folllow them with my eyes.
Believe me, sometimes I can’t either, Lyle.
Love this shot…being uoside down is so typical of these little birds….
When you gotta go, you gotta go😜
Thank you, Patty.
Lovely photograph!! Sorry you missed the 2nd photo session but it did make for an amusing story. As a would-be nature photography I have many “one that got away” stories. Some are funny, others are more tragic 🙂
Yes, both types of stories do occur with birds, Joanne. We just never know what might happen in the field.
A nice shot Ron, and the story made me laugh!! Love your stores and pictures.
Good, glad to hear it, Trudy.
I think this shot of a Red-breasted is excellent! I’m envious!
Yup, Nuthatches and Kinglets are tough. I don’t have one good shot in my archives.
But, of course, maybe I haven’t done the due diligence! Whatever the case, these two species make life very difficult for my amateur bird photography.
Great post and terrific shot, thanks for sharing!
Thanks, Dick. Good luck with both groups of birds in the future!
Whether we are sitting and waiting for nature to provide us with “that moment” or we are answering natures call, nature never waits for us. You may want to try what I do. Keep a bottle strapped in front of your seat. I’ve found a small detergent bottle works well and gives you the freedom to maintain your position for hours, without the need to leave the vehicle. Earlier this summer, I had been watching a Pileated Woodpeckers nest for hours, with no action. I had my camera resting on a beanbag, over the window that was extended up, giving me about a 45 degree angle with the camera. I was just getting some much needed relief, when suddenly the adult dropped onto the adjacent tree! I was able to operate the camera and get the shots of the adult dropping to the hole, with the two babies poking their heads out, all in “midstream!” 🙂
I’ve used a very similar method to yours for many years, Everett. It was just that this time no birds had presented themselves all morning so I didn’t think me “going” outside the truck would make me miss any shots. And I get a better “empty” when I’m standing up. This time I was wrong…
Ron:
Nice shot. Does Mia blog also? My wife and I are a team, and although when we competed that was entirely separate, for slide shows and presentations we worked together, intermingling our best shots.
Yes, we both blog, Richard.
A right-side-up Nuthatch isn’t a Nuthatch, at least in my experience. I used to have Brown-headed and White-breasted ones in my back yard, and they were always, ALWAYS, walking headfirst down trees, apparently searching for insects. The habit of going down the tree face first is how I was easily able to identify them back then. I’m sorry to hear that Nuthatches have the same evil streak that so many other birds do… I never thought they were flirty birds, but then again, I was just watching them, not trying to photograph them.
Maybe their flittiness is more exaggerated when they’re feeding on seeds from pine cones. Then they’re more exposed and probably more nervous than they are in the warm months when they feed largely on insects, I presume from more hidden places within the tree.
Ron, when I saw them they were always traveling down the tree trunk looking for insects under the bark. As opposed to Woodpeckers, who travel up the tree looking for insects under the bark.
Yes, these birds have to come to the outside of the tree where the cones are.
Great shot, Ron….:) They certainly are a challenging subject… We have a huge spruce by the door so we see them regularly when they are around – fun to watch walking down the tree…;) Obviously the nuthatch hadn’t consulted your kidneys before performing! 😉
I think he DID consult my kidneys and that explains his timing, Judy! That’s why I referred to him as evil… !
Beautiful shot Ron, and of course an experience that a large percentage of wildlife photographers have had. I remember once when I was photographing an eagle that I was pretty sure would take off soon the need to go became urgent. Sure enough, the moment I did, off went the eagle. Even worse is something showing up while you are in the process that you really wanted to get a shot of such as a Belted Kingfisher, and then as you hurry to finish your business he or she is gone.
Everett Sanborn, Prescott AZ
Yup, been there and done that more than once, Everett. I guess it comes with the territory if you’re a bird photographer.
That is a neat shot…love the way the wings are overlapping and lining up! This wee one looks like an ornament on a Christmas tree. ❤️ They are really a sweet little bird…that slightly up-turned beak is so unique to them giving them a ‘haughty’ look.To me they are another bird that falls into the ‘smooth feather’ category, especially the white breasted ones. Totally agree with calling them hyperactive! On another note…aren’t those fir cones interesting! The tiny bracts hanging really add to their interest. One of the more unique cones out there.
Yes, Doug fir cones are interesting and unique in several ways. They’re the only ones in my area with three-pointed bracts sticking out of the scales and their cones are the only ones that hang down rather than standing up like true firs. And they drop to the ground intact. Thanks, Kathy.
Yes…it is one of those ‘confusing’ trees…not a true fir (Abies genus) at all. It has one of those beautiful names…so easy to remember, ‘Pseudotsuga menziesii’. Always liked writing that on a test. 😏
Very nice shot Ron! Although I’ve heard them recently, I have yet to actually see one, and by extension photograph one. I do apologize for the lack of comments recently, for whatever reason my phone and computer forgot my details to allow me to comment. Anyway, I’ve been keeping upup to date, so no issues there!
Thanks, Xavier. Sorry about the problems you’ve been having with my blog lately. On rare occasions others have had similar issues but often they eventually disappear as mysteriously as they appeared.