Living Life Upside Down: White-breasted Nuthatch on the Merced River

This best picture of the day is courtesy of Mrs. Geotripper

Some birds are a real challenge to photograph, for all kinds of reasons. In the case of the White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis), its a case of a bird in constant motion. Mrs. Geotripper and I were out and about this morning, exploring the lower reaches of the Merced River where it flows into the Great Valley. We stopped at Merced Falls and Henderson Park near Snelling, a section of river that was devastated by gold dredging activity in the first half of the 1900s. Most of the riparian habitat was ripped out in the search for the elusive metal.

Luckily, seventy years has brought about a return of some of the native vegetation, and a few areas along the river could even be called scenic. The birds were a bit scarce, but when we were leaving Henderson Park, I spotted a small whitish bird in the corner of my eye. We stopped and realized there were two White-breasted Nuthatches chasing about in the trees. I took the one on the left, and Mrs. Geotripper sought out the one on the right. She was closer and got the better shot.

I'm amazed how little time these birds spend right side up. They walk up and down tree trunks looking for small insects, and breaking open nuts of various kinds (an action from which they derive their name). The birds are found all over North America, including Mexico and southern Canada. Good luck catching them not moving though!