UPSIDE-DOWN NUTHATCH IS COMMON VISITOR TO FEEDERS

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, January 17, 1993                   TAG: 9301150158
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: 4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Patricia Held
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium
UPSIDE-DOWN NUTHATCH IS COMMON VISITOR TO FEEDERS
Among the birds that visit feeders, the nuthatch is one of my favorites. It is not as common as the chickadees and titmice, and I look forward to its occasional visits.
Two species of nuthatches are common to Western Virginia. The red-breasted nuthatch is a regular winter visitor from the North, and the white-breasted nuthatch is a year-roundresident. The brown-headed nuthatch is rarely seen, but also resides in our area.
These three nuthatches are easy to tell apart. While their chunky shapes and short tails are similar, their size, markings and habitat are distinctive. The white-breasted nuthatch is the largest of the three and usually inhabits deciduous woodlands. Its white throat and black cap resemble a chickadee in color but not in action or shape.
The red-breasted is a resident of the conifer forests. This nuthatch is a bit smaller than the white-breasted. It, too, has a blue-gray upper body and black cap, but it also has a distinctive thick black eye-line and rusty breast.
The brown-headed nuthatch is the smallest of our local nuthatches. This bird inhabits the Southern pine forests and has a brown cap. While the brown-headed nuthatch inhabits our area it is rarely seen.
The nuthatch is known as the "upside-down bird." It creeps down trees head first. Like woodpeckers, it feeds on insects and larvae that are dormant under bark and in crevices. The nuthatch sees things at a different angle from the woodpecker. Instead of working its way up the tree like the woodpecker, the nuthatch climbs down head first and sees into crevices that the woodpecker overlooks. So while woodpeckers and nuthatches feed in the same trees they do not compete for the same food. They can live in the same patch of woods.
No other tree-climbing birds in our area navigate head first down tree trunks. Strong, long claws and a short, stiff tail enable the bird to move quickly about the tree. The nuthatch hangs from one foot while bracing itself in front with the other. It is able to hang from the underside of a branch and can negotiate up the backside of branches.
Nuthatches feed primarily on insects, but they also eat nuts and seeds. These are carried to tree trunks where they are wedged into a crevice and hacked at until the hull is cracked and the meat exposed.
Influenced by food availability, nuthatches wander quite a bit in winter. They are regular visitors to bird feeders, especially when the weather is nasty. During the recent long seige of cold and icy rain, I had a white-breasted nuthatch come regularly to my feeder. It moved about with the chickadees and preferred the sunflower feeder. Nuthatches are also attracted to suet feeders.
Winter is a wonderful time to watch for nuthatches. Your bird-feeding area provides the perfect setting to attract nuthatches and other birds right to your window.

A note on feeding birds
Feeding the birds can be an enjoyable hobby, but it is important to remember that once you begin to feed the birds regularly, they come to expect it and depend on it. If you are planning a trip for an extended period, ask a neighbor to continue to fill your feeders.
During ice storms, when a coating of impenetrable ice covers everything, it is most important to supplement the birds' diet. During these storms birds cannot feed and really need the seed in feeders.
Patricia Held will respond to readers' questions on the plant and animal wildlife in the region. Mail inquiries to: Patricia Held, P.O. Box 65, Goode, Va. 24556.

Patricia Held is the former director of the Nature Center Museum in Middletown, N.J. She lives in Bedford County.

by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB