Rare Red-breasted Nuthatch

 

I am very familiar with the little Red-breasted Nuthatch, they come to our bird feeder at home in Elkton on a regular basis, and their call of yank, yank, yank, high the pine trees at Collier State Park where we volunteered this past summer was a very familiar sound.  However, they are considered “rare” here in the desert south-west. I thought I had heard one last month here at Buckskin, but was unable to see it.  Yesterday I got a good surprise; I spotted one in an olive tree by the office. As I moved closer to get a good photo it disappeared into the tree.  Unable to find it, I resorted to playing its call on my iPod which brought it directly out of hiding allowing me to get several photos. 

This is only the second area in La Paz County that this bird has been sighted this year.  From some blogs I have read I understand this is an “irruption year” for Red-breasted Nuthatches, meaning they are forced to expand from their normal areas because of lack of seeds of their normal diet.