I find listening to Red-breasted Nuthatch calls and songs very relaxing, even soothing. It always makes me smile when I hear them.
Male Red-breasted Nuthatch in a Douglas Fir – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/3200, ISO 800, -2.7 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
After spending a couple days at home I am itching to get out into the field and back into the quiet sounds of nature with views of birds, trees, mountains and sky. I know of a couple of places that I wouldn’t mind getting to before the sun comes up and then just sitting there all day long to see what great birds come into my sight.
I think that is why I loved my wooded, country garden in Virginia so deeply because I actually could sit there all day long on my porch, deck, benches or on the ground under the trees while dozens of birds came into my view. It actually seems ironic to me that I don’t miss that house at all but I do miss the garden and the birds so much more but then people say that home is where the heart is and I sure put my heart into that garden.
I photographed this male Red-breasted Nuthatch in one of the places here in Utah where I’d love to sit quietly all day long and watch to see what birds come in. It is a very beautiful and peaceful location with a great mix of deciduous and evergreen trees, views of mountain peaks, low shrubs, grasses and bird activity too.
What I like about this male Red-breasted Nuthatch photo is the contrast of light and shadows. While I can’t see all the fine feather details in the shaded part of the nuthatch what I can see is simply enough. I took my time and changed my exposure settings as I photographed this bird in challenging light in an effort to accentuate and deepen the shadows and I like how this photo turned out.
Life is good.
Mia
Click here to see more of my Red-breasted Nuthatch photos plus facts and information about this species.
What a dramatic image! The natural light capturing the colors of the Nuthatch is wonderful. Thanks Mia.
Such lovely lighting! I agree with you….a house is a house 🏡…it’s the life you bring to it that creates a home. 🏡🐝🦋🐿🧶🐶🦊🐸🦆🐝🐛🐌🐜🕷🦗🐞🌺🌸
Like you, I always smile when I hear them. They flit around neighboring backyards as well as ours, and it’s such a joy to watch them. I find them difficult to capture on film because they’re so quick and constantly in motion. So great job getting this shot!
What a fabulous shot! Love the angle of the bird. 🙂
WHAT a charmer, with a distinctive call and songs. A big YES to the bliss of just sitting, listening and watching too.
My favourite bird. I like how your photo turned out as well. Lovely. I haven’t seen any for a couple of years now. Scary.
These are some of my favorite of your photos. You can come sit in my yard any-day. I do it often even in the winter. I make my husband leave one lawn chair out for me to sit in and just listen and watch. I have nuthatches in the yard too.
I like the nuthatch being highlighted the way it is, very striking! It is good to read they have a life span of seven years, sounds like a decent time for such a small creature. They are fairly numerous here and I enjoy hearing and watching them.
Very nice photo!! I enjoy it every time a red-breasted nuthatch shows up in my backyard. They are beautiful birds, and you definitely captured its beauty.
Beautiful photo! We had an irruption of them iutside if St Louis last year.
Very nice natural lighting!
Beautiful shot – Love your post. Reminded me of when I was a young boy I had a favorite large oak tree by a pond I liked to sit and lean against to watch the birds and wildlife as part of the scenery. Really miss that time. That whole area is now a large housing development.
Thanks for sharing.