Nature Notes: Not easy to be a bird

This poor nuthatch was probably in shock. I heard a bang so I'm guessing it hit something and made it to the ledge to recover.

They are usually so fast flitting in and out that when it let me get close I knew something was wrong. I photographed it intending to see if I could seek advise from a rehab person in the area because I was afraid if I handled it, I might make it worse.

I think something was wrong with the leg that's dangling on the wall. However, by the time I downloaded the shots, hoping to email them to a wildlife rehab person, the bird finally flew off. This was after about 15 minutes of not moving hardly at all.

The shot above and below are female cardinals. Back to the injured nuthatch, I found very contradictory information online.

I read that you shouldn't touch a bird in shock as it can make it worse, which is what I was afraid of. Then I read about a light touch in circular motion that can help a bird in shock, hmmmm.

The shots above and below are of a titmouse. I also found contradictory information about the way to deal with a wild bird with a broken leg.

I read that an adult wild bird can recover from a broken leg without help and it's better not to do anything. Then I read a detailed instruction somewhere else about how to tend to a bird with a broken leg. Below is an American Robin.

The first aid was so involved that after reading it, I knew I wouldn't be able to do it anyway. The shot below was going to be of the sparrow on the branch above the American Robin when the robin popped into the frame before I clicked. I liked getting both birds.

I have only recently bothered to find out how to tell which rufous-sided towhees are male and which are female.

The bird above is the female towhee and the one below is the male towhee. Now that I know, it's certainly easy to tell them apart.

The carolina chickadee always makes me think of a child in a tuxedo.

I guess that's silly but there is something about the mix of black and white that makes me think of a miniature tux.

Sometimes when I first catch a glimpse of the red-bellied woodpeckers, I think they are a white dove.

They don't look anything like a dove, but when I see the flash of white out of the corner of my eye, that's what I think.

Then I note the red cap, pointy nose and zebra jacket and I know it's a red-bellied woodpecker.

I enjoy watching the way squirrels eat. They will sit up sometimes eating with their paws, almost delicately.

I'll stop with the male cardinal below. Not much new here. We keep flip flopping between very cold and then milder weather.

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