Nature clicks #198 - White-breasted Nuthatch

 

Yes, this photo was made today! It snowed again last night and most of the day today and staying home was probably a wise decision because of the road conditions. My daughter told me today that the snow bells and crocus bloom already over in Germany. Well, ours here are still under a heavy layer of snow and ice… I admit, I’m a little jealous!

I haven’t posted an image of the White-breasted Nuthatch this season yet, although they are here all winter long. This one wasn’t moving much for several minutes, a sure sign that a hawk was nearby somewhere in the trees around. Every woodpecker or nuthatch tries to stay on the opposite site of a tree, away from the hawk, while the raptor is in the area. This gives me usually an idea where to look for the hawk. I hope I don’t bore you too much with another winterly photo but there wasn’t much else to shoot today, at least outside…

Through the glass

 

I looked at my oldest pictures of a White-breasted Nuthatch that I made in 2007 today. I was happy about them at that time, even if the bird was not more than a gray dot hanging on a bird feeder. It was still my first year of serious digital photography and I believed that wildlife photography was the result of just being there and good luck. More than five years later I know that it is all about biological knowledge, good preparation for a shot, sometimes endless patience, and yes, still a little bit of luck.

The cold temperatures we got here in Iowa at the moment draw a lot of birds to the house because we provide food and water for them. A heated bird bath is necessary and many birds we have here during the winter use it frequently for drinking. I also built some perches for the birds to rest on before they approach the water and feeders. This is not just a benefit to the birds but also part of my preparation for bird photography in any weather.

At the moment it is too cold to leave the doors or windows open for an extended period of time but who says we can't make the click through a clean window? All images I show you today were made through the glass of a door and with just natural light. A nice side effect is that you don't have to deal with fogging of the lens or camera and you also have no problems with heat shimmer from warm air that escapes the house. Am I getting lazy and want to stay home all the time? No, I don't think so, but this set up and preparation allows me to do some bird photography even if my time budget is very limited because I need to get some other things done in my home office and can't go anywhere. If you like to have success you still need to move very carefully and slowly behind the window. A wrong or fast move may spook our feathered friends away for some time and you have to start all over again.

Nature clicks #129 - Red-breasted Nuthatch

 

I have enjoyed being home for a couple weeks now and work from my home office. This will change next week when I have to hit the road again but right now I enjoy watching all the birds that get ready for the winter here in our timber. One little guy that is present at this time of the year is the Red-breasted Nuthatch. I have written about this bird before (see "Nature clicks #63" by clicking HERE ) and I was happy to make a couple clicks while the nuthatch visited our bird bath. I'm not a big fan of having this white piece of plastic in my picture, but hey... it makes a nice, snow-like reflector that bounces the light underneath the birds... ;-)

Nature clicks #84 - White-breasted Nuthatch

Nikon D300s, Sigma 50-500mm / f4.5-6.3 APO DG HSM

Today just a shot from my "backyard series". The White-breasted Nuthatch is here all year long. Their yank-yank-yank calls seem to be heard more frequently now. Spring can't be that far anymore… They are usually in company with the Black-capped Chickadees. The nuthatch moves down pretty fast on tree trunks, head first, and they are always a good subject to practice focussing with the long lens. Their relative, the Red-breasted Nuthatch, is here in our area usually only during migration. I snapped a picture of it last November and wrote a post about it (Click HERE if you like to compare both of them).

Nature clicks # 63 - Red-breasted Nuthatch, a rare occasion

Nikon D300s, Sigma 50-500, f/4.5-6.3 APO DG HSM, Nikon SB600

I  try to develop my style of wildlife photography into a direction where "feeder pictures" don't play a role anymore. But ones in a while comes the opportunity to make an image of a bird that we see very rarely around our house. Can you really blame me for breaking my rules in a matter like this? We live in Eastern Iowa since almost exactly seven years now and have seen the Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis) only occasionally during migration times. The only picture I was able to make several years ago was from far away, and of course at one of our bird feeders. Its white-breasted cousin is here all year long and so we are always thrilled if the Red-breasted Nuthatch shows up.

Being home only briefly between two business trips I did not have the time to try more and get a picture away from the feeder on the balcony. I'm glad I took the shots of this wonderful bird. Soon the nuthatch will migrate further south and I don't even know if I may get a second chance after my return from Southern California (thats where I write this post) in  about a week.

By the way, in my home country Germany I have seen its relative, Sitta eurpaea, quite often and they both look very similar. However, the stripe pattern around the head is different.

The picture above was made against the sun and the bird was actually in the shade of the feeder. A little bit fill flash helped here to deal with the circumstances.

I hope you like it, even if it is just a "feeder image"…;-)