Unknown Birdie no longer Unknown!!

White-breasted nuthatch

After much websearching, I found that our unknown birdie at the feeder is actually a white-breasted nuthatch! Mommy says she has never seen this kinda birdie before so it took both of us by surprise :)

Apparently, this birdie isn't unusual in Mew Jersey. In fact, it's known to be a resident of our state. It must be that Mr. Nuthatch has moved into our neighborhood this fall. Truly, a handsome birdie! From doing my research, I have found some cool facts about the nuthatch:

• Nuthatches gather nuts and seeds, jam them into tree bark, and hammer or "hatch" the food open with their bills.
  
• The White-breasted Nuthatch is normally territorial throughout the year, with pairs staying together. The male is more vigilant when he forages alone than when he is with the female. The female, however, is in danger of having the more dominant male displace her from foraging sites, and she is more vigilant when he is around than when she is alone.
  
• In winter, the White-breasted Nuthatch joins foraging flocks led by chickadees or titmice. One explanation for these flocks is that the birds gain protection from predators by the vigilance of the other birds. In support of this idea, one study found that if titmice were removed from a flock, nuthatches were more wary and reluctant to come to exposed bird feeders.

"In winter, the White-breasted Nuthatch joins foraging flocks led by chickadees or titmice"...hmmm...this makes very much sense! From my wildlife watches, I have noticed that this birdie is always in the company of both the chickadee and the titmice! Not to mention the sparrows that are now numbering 15 at times. Wow! Who knew there was so much to one little birdie!