Brown-headed Nuthatches gathering pine seeds

While working my way from the Delmarva Peninsula back on January 30, I stopped at Blackwater Wildlife Refuge in Maryland. From my last visit here, I learned at least two things: try to avoid weekends (can get quite busy) and park and walk big swaths of the beginning parts of the driving loop. So, this time I visited on a Monday, arriving near the crack of dawn, and had the place almost entirely to myself. I parked near the beginning, got the camera rigs together, and set off on foot. Loblolly Pine groves are frequent, and it wasn't long before I heard the squeak toy sounds of troupes of tiny Brown-headed Nuthatches (Sitta pusilla). The highly social little birds can be tough to observe well, let alone photograph, as they spend much time in the crowns of towering pines.

As I walked along, I came upon another band of nuthatches, but this group was much lower. They were making frequent raids on a young loblolly, laden with cones and many of them near eye level. In the image above a Brown-headed Nuthatch sits atop a cone, posing perfectly.

This is the shot I really hoped for - a nuthatch with pine seed in its bill. The small group was harvesting many seeds - pine seeds become a staple winter food - and were caching many of them among the bark of high limbs, or so it appeared. The process of seed extraction can take place rapidly and often a bird would be off like a shot once it had the seed. Or they would be partially blocked by needles, facing the wrong way, or otherwise uncooperative. Brown-headed Nuthatches do not take direction from people, and one is left hoping for a chance perfect pose. The animal above finally gave me pretty good documentation of his pine seed-harvesting activities.

While I enjoy the challenge of making images of interesting little nuthatches, I enjoy watching and listening to them even more. Charismatic in the extreme, Brown-headed Nuthatches constantly talk amongst themselves in varied squeaky tones. The louder calls sound just like a dog working over a squeak toy. It was interesting to have a ringside seat to their harvesting and caching activities as well. Prior to making these shots, I spent some time watching a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers working over a large limb of a Loblolly Pine - beetle grubs, or carpenter ants were the target, I imagine. A Brown-headed Nuthatch flew in and sat for a minute or more within a few feet of the massive woodpeckers, carefully observing them. I wondered if the clever little bird saw an opportunity to dart in and grab some of the spoils exposed by the woodpeckers, or if it would return after the birds left to seek leftovers. I had to move on before I could see what might have happened there.