Tag: White-breasted Nuthatch

Isolation Photo Project, Day 71

The universe wants balance. My camera had so much to work with yesterday. Today, not so much. After sitting in my backyard for thirty minutes, I got a shot of this bird, a White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis).

White-breasted Nuthatches are friendly, active birds known for their clean black, grey, and white feathers. They love feasting on insects and big, meaty seeds. This one often visits my backyard bird feeder. Despite their small size, their voices are surprisingly loud, and their persistent nasal calls help me locate them easily.

It's late at night. I'm exhausted. Bhavna hasn't slept in days, and I may be unable to either.

Up until yesterday, I had avoided reading or watching any news. I had lost interest in a world I couldn't see or touch. I looked at the news headlines again today. The world is still on fire. The anger of people who have been under house arrest, anxious over having money for food, shelter and medicine, scared of dying but also of living the same miserable day over and over again, of feeling like they have no control over life, has exploded onto the street of the United States and the world. The seeds of 400 years of systemic racism and white supremacy bear fruit.

A police officer murdered George Floyd. He strangled him. George Floyd dies of asphyxiation.

And now I read that our president, Donald Trump, threatens to invoke the insurrection act which authorises the United States military to kill civilians.

I thought life during a global pandemic was "unreal", but now it's turned into a horror movie.

Submitted as part of the 100DaysToOffload project.

Carolina Chickadee and White-breasted Nuthatch

I've been using the Merlin Bird ID app to identify a bunch of birds hanging out in my backyard and even got some decent photographs of them. This morning, the app picked up the chirping of a Carolina Chickadee and White-breasted Nuthatch. The Carolina Chickadee is on the feeder, and the White-breasted Nuthatch is on the tree.

The Carolina Chickadee is a small, chubby bird with a large head that is a common sight in woodlands and backyards of the southeastern United States. It is the only chickadee found in most of its habitat. Its overall colouration is grey, with a distinct head pattern: a black cap, white cheek, and black throat. Its bill is short and stubby, which it uses to crack open seeds. It is often seen in mixed flocks of other songbirds and can be spotted at bird feeders.

White-breasted Nuthatches are familiar avian visitors, sporting distinct black, grey, and white patterns. These small and nimble birds are keenly interested in insects and sizable seeds. Their name originates from the peculiar behaviour of wedging sizeable nuts and acorns into tree bark, utilising their sharp bills to "hatch" the seeds. Despite their diminutive stature, White-breasted Nuthatches emit robust vocalisations, and their persistent, nasal yammering is a reliable guide to locating them.

Updated: I recently rediscovered this post and edited it with a new title, content and tagging. In 2017, I had no clue these were Carolina Chickadee and White-breasted Nuthatch.