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January 20, 2000 - Gathering 'round the bird feederGA- T1l&,Guff6lWT[Fnes' 4,j;�rx ary2.0, X1)00 Gathering 'round the bird feeder There still are, and probably will be for some time, tiny remnants of Christmas scattered about people's back yards. They come in the form of sparkling bits of tinsel that escaped from the tree when it was taken out. On a bush or limb the tinsel hangs, awaiting the sun to release its silvery reflection. I even saw today a few Focus Christmas trees still awaiting ON their final desti- nation. Yet with NATURE all the putting by Paul away and tidying $toutenburgh up we can still see those glisten- ing bits of tinsel when the sun comes out and reminds us of those glorious days of Christmas. The new year has passed and we all stepped into the new millennium with- out too much fanfare. Work days come and go as the world around us settles down to the "old routine" of living. It's time to relax. My relaxing is usually done in one of those overstuffed tilt - back chairs that through the years has now become fitted to my body like a well -worn shoe. From any one of the many positions, I have a grand view of our bird feeders. There seems to be a definite period of activity; other times the feeders hang like unwanted socks on a line, unattended, unused. For the fun of it, back in December Barbara kept track of how many times various birds came to one of our tube feeders. In one 10- minute period she registered 42 trips by chickadees, 20 by titmice, eight by nuthatches and six visits from a downy woodpecker. Now these figures don't reveal any great findings, but merely show that our feeders do have their busy times. With these visitors in mind I thought it might be interesting, especially to those who are new at the game of feeder watching, to know a bit more about these common visitors. Let's check out the smallest visitor to our feeder, the chickadee. It holds the distinction of being named the official state bird of both Maine and Massa- chusetts. New York's official bird is the bluebird. It must have been given that place of distinction many, many years ago when bluebirds were common. Today, particularly here on Long Island, bluebirds have all but disappeared. Occasionally we get them on Christmas Counts, but it's never a sure thing. It's difficult to separate the sexes of chickadees, as they look alike in their black cap and black- and -white bodies. The chickadees you see at your feeder are probably the same ones you gener- ally see year 'round. They don't mi- grate south as most birds do. The one time you might think they do is when they are nesting. Then they sneak away to find a cavity in an old fence post or broken hollow tree limb or even a deserted woodpecker hole. If these lodgings aren't suitable they might take up residence in one of your bird boxes, but remember, the key to having a chickadee use one of your nesting boxes is to have the correct - size opening (1 1/8 -inch diameter). Anything larger will invite the pesky house sparrow. Also, make your boxes small. I've seen chickadees nesting in apy smart kids fail'?. 0106i , .__ Weak Basic Skills Frustration with School Lack of Confidence No Motivation Your child may be smarter than his or her grades show. Our teachers help children of all ages overcome frustration and failure, and realize their potential. A few hours a week can help your child improve weak study skills and gain the Educational Edge. Our testing pinpoints problems and we tutor in reading, phonics, study skills, math and SAT /ACT prep to help students in all grades do better in school. Call and let us help your child break the failure chain. HUNTINGTON Twomey Ave. and Route 58, LEARNING Calverton, NY 11933 CENTER (across from Sphsh Splash) Your child can learn. (631) 727-4600 Indepentlen* owned & %*Mted. Suffolk Times photo by Paul Stoutenburgh During the recent cold spell bird feeders became more Important. When the ground Is covered with snow and Ice, natural food is cut off and your feed- ers are doubly appreciated. cavities less than three inches in diam- eter. Should Mrs. Chickadee not find a suitable nesting cavity, she'll choose a soft, rotten (but not too rotten) limb or post and she'll dig out a cavity to her own specifications. I saw her handiwork of soft chips at the bottom of a small dead tree years ago when I was collecting wild aspara- gus. I knew where every root of that special delicacy grew around our creek- and bayfronts. All you had to do was to pick it. Often it would be hidden among bushes and vines but a well- trained eye could always locate it. It is my belief that wild asparagus tastes better than any of the commer- cially grown asparagus. Most of the chickadee nests I've found are relatively low — five to 10 feet from the ground. Once the cavity has been selected nest building begins. The female does most of the work. The nest is made up of plant fiber, fine strips of bark and various types of ani- mal hair that's used for the innermost parts of the tiny cup -like nest. One year when we had a horse Mrs. Chickadee used horse hair exclusively. Another time when we had sheep, she used wool. I guess when neither of those are available, she'll find rabbit hair or some other animal's hair to line her nest. Her eggs number between six and 10 and are white spotted with brown. Once the eggs hatch, it's dawn to dusk collecting insects of all sorts to feed her hungry young. Yet even with their demanding lifestyle these tiny bits of joy have been known to live to the ripe old bird age of 12. How do we know this? It's one of the bits of information bird banding reveals. There are other chickadees besides our black- capped chickadee, but of all of them, the bore- al chickadee is the only one we can ever expect to see. It has a brown cap instead of the black cap of our native chickadee. It's a far -north resident and seldom visits us. One of the factors that make chick- adees so attractive is their tameness. Often you can get very close to them and with a little patience you can get them to eat out of your hand. And if you want to brighten up the light in a child's eyes, just let a chickadee come to one of their outstretched hands for a sunflower seed. And if you're not that patient to try this around your home, take a ride over to the Morton Wildlife Preserve northwest of Sag Harbor. Be sure to take a pocketful of sunflower seed, for you'll literally be mobbed by chick- adees, nuthatches, cardinals and even chipmunks who will be more than happy to partake of your offering. Now let's take a look at another visi- tor to our feeders, the white - breasted nuthatch, or the upside -down bird, as it is known to many. It's true, we see this active gray -blue bird with its white undersides and black cap scurrying head -first down a tree or limb search- ing out any hidden bugs, larva, eggs or hibernating insects that might have escaped the searching eyes of the "right side up" birds such as woodpeckers, brown creepers and others. In this unu- sual upside -down position the nuthatch has found a fertile feeding ground that others have passed by. Of course, it loves to visit your feeder with its sun- flower seeds and suet as well. Stay -at -home nuthatches The nuthatch you see each day is likely to be the same one you see year 'round, as they don't usually migrate. Like the chickadee, it builds its nest in natural tree cavities, old woodpecker holes and an occasional bird box. I had nest and raise its family in the woods in back of our house many years ago. The box was up as high as I could reach and it was here I watched the young flutter from the nesting box. Some landed on the ground, some in low bushes, none very far away. I wanted to photograph the young so I picked them up and placed them on a branch one by one in a row. The mother came and fed them just as if I wasn't there. She was so intent on her maternal duties she couldn't be bothered with me. There are four species of nuthatches in North America. The only other one you'll see is the red - breasted nuthatch, a bit smaller than our white- breasted and, as the name implies, it has a rusty red breast. Unlike the white - breasted nuthatch that prefers our oak and hickory hardwoods, the red - breasted nuthatch is usually found wherever there are evergreens. Next week we'll again explore in more detail other birds that come to our feeder. SA­ -The,StgfoikTlmes,•; aanuaryc2G;A2000 Gatherin There still are, and probably will be for some time, tiny remnants of Christmas scattered about people's back yards. They come in the form of sparkling bits of tinsel that escaped from the tree when it was taken out. On a bush or limb the tinsel hangs, awaiting the sun to release its silvery reflection. I even saw today a few Christmas trees Focus still awaiting ON their final desti- nation. Yet with NATURE RE all the putting by Paul away and tidying $toutenburgh up we can still see those glisten- ing bits of tinsel when the sun comes out and reminds us of those glorious days of Christmas. The new year has passed and we all stepped into the new millennium with- out too much fanfare. Work days come and go as the world around us settles down to the `old routine" of living. It's time to relax. My relaxing is usually done in one of those overstuffed tilt - back chairs that through the years has now become fitted to my body like a well -worn shoe. From any one of the many positions, I have a grand view of our bird feeders. There seems to be a definite period of activity; other times the feeders hang like unwanted socks on a line, unattended, unused. For the fun of it, back in December Barbara kept track of how many times various birds came to one of our tube feeders. In one 10- minute period she registered 42 trips by chickadees, 20 by titmice, eight by nuthatches and six 'round the bird feed Suffolk Times photo by Paul Stoutenburgh During the recent cold spell bird feeders became more important. When the ground is covered with snow and ice, natural food is cut off and your feed- ers are doubly appreciated. '�r •. �..a,1aa. - �' a NilC tia ���a<z '.,, - 4 Suffolk Times photo by Paul Stoutenburgh During the recent cold spell bird feeders became more important. When the ground is covered with snow and ice, natural food is cut off and your feed- ers are doubly appreciated. visits from a downy woodpecker. Now these figures don't reveal any great findings, but merely show that our feeders do have their busy times. With these visitors in mind I thought it might be interesting, especially to those who are new at the game of feeder watching, to know a bit more about these common visitors. Let's check out the smallest visitor to our feeder, the chickadee. It holds the distinction of being named the official state bird of both Maine and Massa- chusetts. New York's official bird is the bluebird. It must have been given that place of distinction many, many years ago when bluebirds were common. Today, particularly here on Long Island, bluebirds have all but disappeared. Occasionally we get them on Christmas Counts, but it's never a sure thing. It's difficult to separate the sexes of chickadees, as they look alike in their black cap and black - and -white bodies. The chickadees you see at your feeder are probably the same ones you gener- ally see year 'round. They don't mi- grate south as most birds do. The one time you might think they do is when they are nesting. Then they sneak away to find a cavity in an old fence post or broken hollow tree limb or even a deserted woodpecker hole. If these lodgings aren't suitable they might take up residence in one of your bird boxes, but remember, the key to having a chickadee use one of your nesting boxes is to have the correct - size opening (1 1/8 -inch diameter). Anything larger will invite the pesky house sparrow. Also, make your boxes small. I've seen chickadees nesting in cavities less than three inches in diam- eter. Should Mrs. Chickadee not find a suitable nesting cavity, she'll choose a soft, rotten (but not too rotten) limb or post and she'll dig out a cavity to her own specifications. I saw her handiwork of soft chips at the bottom of a small dead tree years ago when I was collecting wild aspara- gus. I knew where every root of that special delicacy grew around our creek- and bayfronts. All you had to do was to pick it. Often it would be hidden among bushes and vines but a well- trained eye could always locate it It is my belief that wild asparagus tastes better than any of the commer- Most of the chickadee nests I've found are relatively low — five to 10 feet from the ground. Once the cavity has been selected nest building begins. The female does most of the work. The nest is made up of plant fiber, fine strips of bark and various types of ani- mal hair that's used for the innermost parts of the tiny cup -like nest. One year when we had a horse Mrs. Chickadee used horse hair exclusively. Another time when we had sheep, she used wool. I guess when neither of those are available, she'll find rabbit hair or some other animal's hair to line her nest. Her eggs number between six and 10 and are white spotted with brown. Once the eggs hatch, it's dawn to dusk collecting insects of all sorts to feed her hungry young. Yet even with their demanding lifestyle these tiny bits of joy have been known to live to the ripe old bird age of 12. How do we know this? It's one of the bits of information bird banding reveals. There are other chickadees besides our black- capped chickadee, but of all of them, the bore- al chickadee is the only one we can ever expect to see. It has a brown cap instead of the black cap of our native chickadee. It's a far -north resident and seldom visits us. One of the factors that make chick- adees so attractive is their tameness. Often you can get very close to them and with a little patience you can get them to eat out of your hand. And if you want to brighten up the light in a child's eyes, just let a chickadee come to one of their outstretched hands for a sunflower seed. ... _ . And if you're not that patient to try this around your home, take a ride over to the Morton Wildlife Preserve northwest of Sag Harbor. Be sure to take a pocketful of sunflower seed, for you'll literally be mobbed by chick- adees, nuthatches, cardinals and even chipmunks who will be more than happy to partake of your offering. iNow lets taKe a IooK at anotner visi- tor to our feeders, the white- breasted nuthatch, or the upside -down bird, as it is known to many. It's true, we see this active gray -blue bird with its white undersides and black cap scurrying head -first down a tree or limb search- ing out any hidden bugs, larva, eggs or hibernating insects that might have escaped the searching eyes of the "right side up" birds such as woodpeckers, brown creepers and others. In this unu- sual upside -down position the nuthatch has found a fertile feeding ground that others have passed by. Of course, it loves to visit your feeder with its sun- flower seeds and suet as well. Stay -at -home nuthatches The nuthatch you see each day is likely to be the same one you see year 'round, as they don't usually migrate. Like the chickadee, it builds its nest in natural tree cavities, old woodpecker holes and an occasional bird box. I had nest and raise its family in the woods in back of our house many years ago. The box was up as high as I could reach and it was here I watched the young flutter from the nesting box. Some landed on the ground, some in low bushes, none very far away. I wanted to photograph the young so I picked them up and placed them on a branch one by one in a row. The mother came and fed them just as if I wasn't there. She was so intent on her maternal duties she couldn't be bothered with me. There are four species of nuthatches in North America. The only other one you'll see is the red - breasted nuthatch, a bit smaller than our white- breasted and, as the name implies, it has a rusty red breast. Unlike the white- breasted nuthatch that prefers our oak and hickory hardwoods, the red - breasted nuthatch is usually found wherever there are evergreens. Next.week we'll again explore in more detail other birds that come to SA­ -The,StgfoikTlmes,•; aanuaryc2G;A2000 Gatherin There still are, and probably will be for some time, tiny remnants of Christmas scattered about people's back yards. They come in the form of sparkling bits of tinsel that escaped from the tree when it was taken out. On a bush or limb the tinsel hangs, awaiting the sun to release its silvery reflection. I even saw today a few Christmas trees Focus still awaiting ON their final desti- nation. Yet with NATURE RE all the putting by Paul away and tidying $toutenburgh up we can still see those glisten- ing bits of tinsel when the sun comes out and reminds us of those glorious days of Christmas. The new year has passed and we all stepped into the new millennium with- out too much fanfare. Work days come and go as the world around us settles down to the `old routine" of living. It's time to relax. My relaxing is usually done in one of those overstuffed tilt - back chairs that through the years has now become fitted to my body like a well -worn shoe. From any one of the many positions, I have a grand view of our bird feeders. There seems to be a definite period of activity; other times the feeders hang like unwanted socks on a line, unattended, unused. For the fun of it, back in December Barbara kept track of how many times various birds came to one of our tube feeders. In one 10- minute period she registered 42 trips by chickadees, 20 by titmice, eight by nuthatches and six 'round the bird feed Suffolk Times photo by Paul Stoutenburgh During the recent cold spell bird feeders became more important. When the ground is covered with snow and ice, natural food is cut off and your feed- ers are doubly appreciated. '�r •. �..a,1aa. - �' a NilC tia ���a<z '.,, - 4 Suffolk Times photo by Paul Stoutenburgh During the recent cold spell bird feeders became more important. When the ground is covered with snow and ice, natural food is cut off and your feed- ers are doubly appreciated. visits from a downy woodpecker. Now these figures don't reveal any great findings, but merely show that our feeders do have their busy times. With these visitors in mind I thought it might be interesting, especially to those who are new at the game of feeder watching, to know a bit more about these common visitors. Let's check out the smallest visitor to our feeder, the chickadee. It holds the distinction of being named the official state bird of both Maine and Massa- chusetts. New York's official bird is the bluebird. It must have been given that place of distinction many, many years ago when bluebirds were common. Today, particularly here on Long Island, bluebirds have all but disappeared. Occasionally we get them on Christmas Counts, but it's never a sure thing. It's difficult to separate the sexes of chickadees, as they look alike in their black cap and black - and -white bodies. The chickadees you see at your feeder are probably the same ones you gener- ally see year 'round. They don't mi- grate south as most birds do. The one time you might think they do is when they are nesting. Then they sneak away to find a cavity in an old fence post or broken hollow tree limb or even a deserted woodpecker hole. If these lodgings aren't suitable they might take up residence in one of your bird boxes, but remember, the key to having a chickadee use one of your nesting boxes is to have the correct - size opening (1 1/8 -inch diameter). Anything larger will invite the pesky house sparrow. Also, make your boxes small. I've seen chickadees nesting in cavities less than three inches in diam- eter. Should Mrs. Chickadee not find a suitable nesting cavity, she'll choose a soft, rotten (but not too rotten) limb or post and she'll dig out a cavity to her own specifications. I saw her handiwork of soft chips at the bottom of a small dead tree years ago when I was collecting wild aspara- gus. I knew where every root of that special delicacy grew around our creek- and bayfronts. All you had to do was to pick it. Often it would be hidden among bushes and vines but a well- trained eye could always locate it It is my belief that wild asparagus tastes better than any of the commer- Most of the chickadee nests I've found are relatively low — five to 10 feet from the ground. Once the cavity has been selected nest building begins. The female does most of the work. The nest is made up of plant fiber, fine strips of bark and various types of ani- mal hair that's used for the innermost parts of the tiny cup -like nest. One year when we had a horse Mrs. Chickadee used horse hair exclusively. Another time when we had sheep, she used wool. I guess when neither of those are available, she'll find rabbit hair or some other animal's hair to line her nest. Her eggs number between six and 10 and are white spotted with brown. Once the eggs hatch, it's dawn to dusk collecting insects of all sorts to feed her hungry young. Yet even with their demanding lifestyle these tiny bits of joy have been known to live to the ripe old bird age of 12. How do we know this? It's one of the bits of information bird banding reveals. There are other chickadees besides our black- capped chickadee, but of all of them, the bore- al chickadee is the only one we can ever expect to see. It has a brown cap instead of the black cap of our native chickadee. It's a far -north resident and seldom visits us. One of the factors that make chick- adees so attractive is their tameness. Often you can get very close to them and with a little patience you can get them to eat out of your hand. And if you want to brighten up the light in a child's eyes, just let a chickadee come to one of their outstretched hands for a sunflower seed. ... _ . And if you're not that patient to try this around your home, take a ride over to the Morton Wildlife Preserve northwest of Sag Harbor. Be sure to take a pocketful of sunflower seed, for you'll literally be mobbed by chick- adees, nuthatches, cardinals and even chipmunks who will be more than happy to partake of your offering. iNow lets taKe a IooK at anotner visi- tor to our feeders, the white- breasted nuthatch, or the upside -down bird, as it is known to many. It's true, we see this active gray -blue bird with its white undersides and black cap scurrying head -first down a tree or limb search- ing out any hidden bugs, larva, eggs or hibernating insects that might have escaped the searching eyes of the "right side up" birds such as woodpeckers, brown creepers and others. In this unu- sual upside -down position the nuthatch has found a fertile feeding ground that others have passed by. Of course, it loves to visit your feeder with its sun- flower seeds and suet as well. Stay -at -home nuthatches The nuthatch you see each day is likely to be the same one you see year 'round, as they don't usually migrate. Like the chickadee, it builds its nest in natural tree cavities, old woodpecker holes and an occasional bird box. I had nest and raise its family in the woods in back of our house many years ago. The box was up as high as I could reach and it was here I watched the young flutter from the nesting box. Some landed on the ground, some in low bushes, none very far away. I wanted to photograph the young so I picked them up and placed them on a branch one by one in a row. The mother came and fed them just as if I wasn't there. She was so intent on her maternal duties she couldn't be bothered with me. There are four species of nuthatches in North America. The only other one you'll see is the red - breasted nuthatch, a bit smaller than our white- breasted and, as the name implies, it has a rusty red breast. Unlike the white- breasted nuthatch that prefers our oak and hickory hardwoods, the red - breasted nuthatch is usually found wherever there are evergreens. Next.week we'll again explore in more detail other birds that come to SA­ -The,StgfoikTlmes,•; aanuaryc2G;A2000 Gatherin There still are, and probably will be for some time, tiny remnants of Christmas scattered about people's back yards. They come in the form of sparkling bits of tinsel that escaped from the tree when it was taken out. On a bush or limb the tinsel hangs, awaiting the sun to release its silvery reflection. I even saw today a few Christmas trees Focus still awaiting ON their final desti- nation. Yet with NATURE RE all the putting by Paul away and tidying $toutenburgh up we can still see those glisten- ing bits of tinsel when the sun comes out and reminds us of those glorious days of Christmas. The new year has passed and we all stepped into the new millennium with- out too much fanfare. Work days come and go as the world around us settles down to the `old routine" of living. It's time to relax. My relaxing is usually done in one of those overstuffed tilt - back chairs that through the years has now become fitted to my body like a well -worn shoe. From any one of the many positions, I have a grand view of our bird feeders. There seems to be a definite period of activity; other times the feeders hang like unwanted socks on a line, unattended, unused. For the fun of it, back in December Barbara kept track of how many times various birds came to one of our tube feeders. In one 10- minute period she registered 42 trips by chickadees, 20 by titmice, eight by nuthatches and six 'round the bird feed Suffolk Times photo by Paul Stoutenburgh During the recent cold spell bird feeders became more important. When the ground is covered with snow and ice, natural food is cut off and your feed- ers are doubly appreciated. '�r •. �..a,1aa. - �' a NilC tia ���a<z '.,, - 4 Suffolk Times photo by Paul Stoutenburgh During the recent cold spell bird feeders became more important. When the ground is covered with snow and ice, natural food is cut off and your feed- ers are doubly appreciated. visits from a downy woodpecker. Now these figures don't reveal any great findings, but merely show that our feeders do have their busy times. With these visitors in mind I thought it might be interesting, especially to those who are new at the game of feeder watching, to know a bit more about these common visitors. Let's check out the smallest visitor to our feeder, the chickadee. It holds the distinction of being named the official state bird of both Maine and Massa- chusetts. New York's official bird is the bluebird. It must have been given that place of distinction many, many years ago when bluebirds were common. Today, particularly here on Long Island, bluebirds have all but disappeared. Occasionally we get them on Christmas Counts, but it's never a sure thing. It's difficult to separate the sexes of chickadees, as they look alike in their black cap and black - and -white bodies. The chickadees you see at your feeder are probably the same ones you gener- ally see year 'round. They don't mi- grate south as most birds do. The one time you might think they do is when they are nesting. Then they sneak away to find a cavity in an old fence post or broken hollow tree limb or even a deserted woodpecker hole. If these lodgings aren't suitable they might take up residence in one of your bird boxes, but remember, the key to having a chickadee use one of your nesting boxes is to have the correct - size opening (1 1/8 -inch diameter). Anything larger will invite the pesky house sparrow. Also, make your boxes small. I've seen chickadees nesting in cavities less than three inches in diam- eter. Should Mrs. Chickadee not find a suitable nesting cavity, she'll choose a soft, rotten (but not too rotten) limb or post and she'll dig out a cavity to her own specifications. I saw her handiwork of soft chips at the bottom of a small dead tree years ago when I was collecting wild aspara- gus. I knew where every root of that special delicacy grew around our creek- and bayfronts. All you had to do was to pick it. Often it would be hidden among bushes and vines but a well- trained eye could always locate it It is my belief that wild asparagus tastes better than any of the commer- Most of the chickadee nests I've found are relatively low — five to 10 feet from the ground. Once the cavity has been selected nest building begins. The female does most of the work. The nest is made up of plant fiber, fine strips of bark and various types of ani- mal hair that's used for the innermost parts of the tiny cup -like nest. One year when we had a horse Mrs. Chickadee used horse hair exclusively. Another time when we had sheep, she used wool. I guess when neither of those are available, she'll find rabbit hair or some other animal's hair to line her nest. Her eggs number between six and 10 and are white spotted with brown. Once the eggs hatch, it's dawn to dusk collecting insects of all sorts to feed her hungry young. Yet even with their demanding lifestyle these tiny bits of joy have been known to live to the ripe old bird age of 12. How do we know this? It's one of the bits of information bird banding reveals. There are other chickadees besides our black- capped chickadee, but of all of them, the bore- al chickadee is the only one we can ever expect to see. It has a brown cap instead of the black cap of our native chickadee. It's a far -north resident and seldom visits us. One of the factors that make chick- adees so attractive is their tameness. Often you can get very close to them and with a little patience you can get them to eat out of your hand. And if you want to brighten up the light in a child's eyes, just let a chickadee come to one of their outstretched hands for a sunflower seed. ... _ . And if you're not that patient to try this around your home, take a ride over to the Morton Wildlife Preserve northwest of Sag Harbor. Be sure to take a pocketful of sunflower seed, for you'll literally be mobbed by chick- adees, nuthatches, cardinals and even chipmunks who will be more than happy to partake of your offering. iNow lets taKe a IooK at anotner visi- tor to our feeders, the white- breasted nuthatch, or the upside -down bird, as it is known to many. It's true, we see this active gray -blue bird with its white undersides and black cap scurrying head -first down a tree or limb search- ing out any hidden bugs, larva, eggs or hibernating insects that might have escaped the searching eyes of the "right side up" birds such as woodpeckers, brown creepers and others. In this unu- sual upside -down position the nuthatch has found a fertile feeding ground that others have passed by. Of course, it loves to visit your feeder with its sun- flower seeds and suet as well. Stay -at -home nuthatches The nuthatch you see each day is likely to be the same one you see year 'round, as they don't usually migrate. Like the chickadee, it builds its nest in natural tree cavities, old woodpecker holes and an occasional bird box. I had nest and raise its family in the woods in back of our house many years ago. The box was up as high as I could reach and it was here I watched the young flutter from the nesting box. Some landed on the ground, some in low bushes, none very far away. I wanted to photograph the young so I picked them up and placed them on a branch one by one in a row. The mother came and fed them just as if I wasn't there. She was so intent on her maternal duties she couldn't be bothered with me. There are four species of nuthatches in North America. The only other one you'll see is the red - breasted nuthatch, a bit smaller than our white- breasted and, as the name implies, it has a rusty red breast. Unlike the white- breasted nuthatch that prefers our oak and hickory hardwoods, the red - breasted nuthatch is usually found wherever there are evergreens. Next.week we'll again explore in more detail other birds that come to