About a year ago I slowly beckoned little birds to come to my hand for seed. This spring nesting season arrived & they took to the trees to nest and feast on insects, (all but three birds that is). Now that nesting season is over my little flock is slowly growing.
I think this sweet little female nuthatch was
born this year, her feathers are all in place, where as some of the
older birds have been molting for a month and look like they need their
feathers combed ;-).
This one fluttered about me for two weeks before she landed, before she felt safe. Now she flies to me more than all the rest.
They
take a seed and fly off to eat it, or more often they hide it in the
bark of a tree for later. Yesterday I saw her tuck a seed under bark and
break off a tiny bit of bark to cover it. I had never seen that done
before, clever.
They are so cute hanging upside down in trees or
my roof, short little tail, long beak, fast as can be, top of the
pecking order, i am guessing because their beaks are twice as long as
the others. Meaning the chickadees usually let the nuthatches get a seed
first and the nuthatches make sure of that by chasing them off.
Female
because her crown is gray, the males crown is black. There is a male
that comes to me. He is still cautious about taking a seed. Interesting
to find that he is above her on the pecking order and she waits and
quivers until he finally takes a seed.
I love learning about them up close. Things i would never know from watching them in the trees or even at a feeder.
I
have experienced that going outside, whether on my porch, lawn or
forest, many times a day, standing like a tree, arm and hand
outstretched, waiting for the little birds to take seed, brings
alignment to the energy in my body with a mix of peace and joy.
~
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