My new National Wildlife Federation Field Guide to Birds of North America makes me think it is, and if it is, it's a fairly rare visitor to my backyard feeder. If any of you have other bird books that might confirm that it is a Sitta carolinensis, please let me know. (The photo, by the way, is heavily cropped, slightly out of focus and heavily sharpened in Photoshop Elements, so if you click on it won't look so hot.)
Henry..this link http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/id/framlst/i7270id.html shows a mini video (2 seconds?) of the white breasted nuthatch. We often have them at our feeder, along with the slate nuthatch. There is also an Oregon nuthatch which has been frequently seen in the U.P. this winter, way out of its western range. Nuthatches have a variety of color variations, as well. Your photo does look like the white breasted nuthatch, altho with it blending into the background, it looks somewhat distorted as you said.
ReplyDeleteHappy bird watching! Sally in da U.P., eh?
Thanks, Sally. I do believe it's a White-breasted Nuthatch. Because of urban air pollution we don't often see nuthatches and other comparatively rare species down here in the Chicago area. So it's a rare photo for me.
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