Red-breasted Nuthatch 37 



crank, but is certainly quite eccentric in that he is so different 

 from the birds of other families. Having heard his call you 

 will shortly discover him jerkily clambering up and down the 

 trunks and limbs of trees, searching for bugs and grubs. 



His plumage is always smooth and unruffled no matter how 

 hard the wind may blow. How he manages to keep himself 

 so well groomed and still devote every minute of the day to 

 grub-hunting, I never learned. 



This Nuthatch is a permanent resident of Albany County, 

 though in the coldest part of Winter very few are seen, the 

 majority retiring further down the Hudson Valley, where there 

 is better protection from the storms and bitter winds. The 

 nest is built in a hole in a tree; eggs, five to eight, creamy 

 white, speckled with brown and lavender. 



Red-breasted Nuthatch. — Sitta canadensis. 4.61 



Not Uncommon Spring and Fall Migrant 



Field marks. — Very similar to above species, but much 

 smaller; under parts reddish-brown. 



I have found these birds more common hereabouts in the 

 Fall than in the Spring. It has a nasal call, but less 

 pronounced than its near relative the White-breasted Nuthatch. 



