White-breasted Nuthatch with a mouthful

In addition to the birds mentioned in the previous posts that were foraging around the Canon City Riverwalk today, the White-breasted Nuthatche in these pics was among the 4-5 White-breasted Nuthatches I saw there today. It is holding a safflower seed in it's mouth. The pinkish tongue is visible in the top pic. Also interesting in the top pic is how the feathers on it's neck make almost a bib presumably as a result of it's raising it's head up. SeEtta

White-breasted Nuthatchs fall activity

White-breasted Nuthatches are busy foraging and caching food, which they do in dispersed areas around their territory during fall and winter. They seem to be everywhere right now as they move about in search of food, often in mixed flocks with chickadees and woodpeckers.

These photos are of one nuthatch that I photographed as it moved down a tree. Nuthatches often move straight down a tree as this was one was doing by both climbing down then making a short flight, which is when I caught it in these pics.

This is a male, a fact known by the black crown (females have generally a grayish crown and "are duller and grayer overall than males" according to Birds of North America online).
SeEtta