The folks in the Riverwalk Bird Club don't just watch birds. The
group includes some excellent photographers. Nooga.com Outdoors
is happy to share their great photos by featuring a Bird of the
Week. This week, we feature a white-breasted nuthatch, taken by
Tim Jeffers. —These agile little birds get their common name
from their habit of jamming large nuts and acorns into tree
bark, then whacking them with their sharp bill to “hatch” out
the seed from the inside. White-breasted nuthatches may be
small, but their voices are loud, and often, their insistent
nasal yammering will lead you right to them. —The white-breasted
nuthatch is normally territorial throughout the year, with pairs
staying together. The male has to spend more time looking out
for predators when he’s alone than while he’s with his mate.
That’s the pattern for most birds and one reason why birds spend
so much time in flocks. But the female nuthatch has to put up
with the male pushing her aside from foraging sites, so she
spends more time looking