Jan. 4—One of life’s little pleasures is to watch birds coming to the feeder in the winter.
Frequent visitors to my feeder include cardinals, chickadees, tufted titmice, house finches, downy woodpeckers, house sparrows, goldfinches, juncos and nuthatches.
One of my favorites is the white-breasted nuthatch, a perky little fellow who can often be seen working his way down the side of a tree in a zigzag pattern, probing the bark for insects.
Nuthatches are small birds with pure white breast feathers, a bluish-gray back and tail, short legs, a long-pointed bill and almost no neck. The male has a black cap while the top of the female’s head is gray.
Their head-down position as they hunt for insects under tree bark is a strong identifying characteristic. Nuthatchs’ diets consist of insects and of seeds and nuts, which they wedge in the grooves of tree bark and pry open with their sharp beaks.
They often stash food items and cover them with moss or lichen to eat later.
Two species of nuthatch can be found in east-central Indiana: the white-breasted and the red-breasted.
The red-breasted nuthatch is usually migrating through, generally preferring to live and breed further north in coniferous forests of pine, larch, spruce, hemlock and fir. More common in our area is the white-breasted nuthatch, a year-round resident of mature woodlands.
Nuthatches nest in tree cavities or holes that have been excavated by woodpeckers, but will also chisel out their own nesting hole. The female builds the nest, first lining it with fur, lumps of dirt and shredded bark, then adding a softer layer made of material such as grass or feathers.
The male brings food to the female while she’s building the nest. She lays 5 — 9 brown-speckled creamy white eggs, which she incubates for about two weeks. Both parents participate in feeding the young.
For the safety of your feathered guests, place your bird feeder near a shrub or protected area where small birds can take cover. Predators like Cooper’s hawks like to hunt at feeders.
A clear plastic tubular feeder that has a short perch beneath each port should cost less than $20. High-quality seed should cost about $20 for a 20-pound bag. Black oil sunflower seed is the best all-around bird food because it’s high in protein and is a favorite food of many songbirds.
If you wish to attract more songbirds and fewer blackbirds, choose a small feeder that limits the amount of seed being dispensed. In very cold weather, feeders can be filled with fresh food as often as every few days.
Bird seed ideally should be stored in a container with a securely fitting lid. If the food is allowed to get wet, it will become moldy and somewhat toxic to birds.
Sheryl Myers taught biology and environmental science for 34 years and has worked as a naturalist for area parks. She is a founding director of Heart of the River Coalition