_____  

 

This afternoon, Nov 4th, a very young fledgling White-breasted Nuthatch
showed up on our deck near the bird feeders.  Our small dog approached the
baby and sniffed it, but did not even try to bite or grab it.  My wife,
Carolyn, quickly got to the bird, and though it fluttered a bit, it could
not evade her.  She picked up the bird, put the dog into the house, and then
placed the bird onto a carnation plant in one of the pots on our deck.  The
bird just sat there.  The behavior and appearance of this bird would suggest
it was just a few days out of the nest.  My wife and I are both pretty
familiar with how baby birds look and act.  Around this place at the
'proper' times of the year we have seen baby wrens, baby robins, baby
bluebirds, baby mockingbirds, baby house finches, baby chickadees and baby
titmice, amongst others.    This was not a 'sick' bird - it was just an
infant.

 

About an hour after leaving the bird, Carolyn checked again and the bird was
gone.  I was working on the other side of the house during this time, and
had heard several calls of White-breasted Nuthatch.  I suspect these were
the parent birds, and that they found some way to guide the infant to a
safer place.  It was able to flutter from place to place but did not have
enough flight skill to move rapidly.  The adult birds were in the general
vicinity of one of my feeders filled with black oil sunflower seeds.

 

Rather obviously, this is pretty late for a successful nesting by this
species.  I would be interested in hearing if anyone has a good explanation
for why this one must have nested so late.  Also, are there any other
stories of extremely late nesting by this species, or others for that
matter.

 

 

LES ROSLUND

TALBOT COUNTY

EASTON, MD

 

 

 






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