"Dreamscape (vertical):" Sunset hues dance across the undulating clouds over Watson Lake.

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"Dreamscape (horizontal):" Sunset hues dance across the undulating clouds over Watson Lake.

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"Whispers of Twilight:" The colors of sunset began to cool into the tones of twilight as day mingled with night over Watson Lake.

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I always look forward to a visit from one of my backyard friends. He doesn’t stay very long; fliting from here to there in search of a bite to eat. After grabbing a morsel, he dashes off to a nearby tree to enjoy his meal in peace. Brings a Smile every time : )

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The White-breasted Nuthatch

The largest nuthatch, this is still a small bird with a large head and almost no neck. The tail is very short, and the long, narrow bill is straight or slightly upturned.

White-breasted Nuthatches are agile birds that creep along trunks and large branches, probing into bark furrows with their straight, pointed bills. Like other nuthatches, they often turn sideways and upside down on vertical surfaces as they forage. They don’t lean against their tails the way woodpeckers do.

White-breasted Nuthatches are birds of mature woods and woodland edges. They’re particularly associated with deciduous stands, including maple, hickory, basswood, and oak, though they can be found in some coniferous forests.

In winter, White-breasted Nuthatches survive by staying in mixed flocks and using caching to have a steady supply of food. These birds join foraging flocks led by chickadees or titmice, perhaps partly because more eyes in a group make food easier to find and predators easier to spot. The winter feeder watcher may notice that male White-breasted Nuthatches can be rude, by human standards, pushing females aside at a platform full of bird seed. And nuthatches may steal from each other’s caches, so they tend to fly off in opposite directions from a feeder to avoid leading an onlooking bird to their secret stashes of seeds.

(Nikon Z, 500 mm, 1/800 @ f/4.0, ISO 2500, edited to taste)

Tags:   500/4 Don’s PhotoStream Nikon

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Barn Swallow Salisbury Plain Wiltshire UK

Tags:   Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica Swallow Hirundine Bird Nature Wildlife Nikon Z9 Nikkor Z 800mm F6.3 Salisbury Plain Wiltshire UK

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