Nature Study Monday: Red-breasted Nuthatch

Oh for the love of this upside down eater!  As the Red-breasted Nuthatch dines upside down outside of our kitchen window, all of us gaze on in wonder!  Her long bill, big head, and flighty ways always grab my attention.

This bird is another cavity nester; and it is one of the only birds that is not a woodpecker who excavates its own nest.  Its long bill must help get that job done.  Evidently both sexes help excavate the nest site, but the female does most of the work.
I have been observing these critters for months now, but like the Chickadee, they are hard to capture on film because they flit away in just a moments time