B is for Brown-Headed Nuthatch

 

This curious and serious looking little fellow flew right over my head and clung to the bark of the pine trees with his friend to observe and “chat”. Sometimes I wonder if birds have human-watching books in their nests to make notes and identify us like we do them 😂  

The Brown-headed nuthatch was a new ‘life list’ bird for me this year in February! They are found year round in most of Florida except the southeastern section. However, in all my years I hadn’t seen one that I was able to identify at least until these two in Cary State Forest that is located quite inland in Bryceville, FL. More reason to get out there with a camera, sketchbook, or good memory lol because you never know when you’ll be able to find a new bird!

I’m not able to tell the age or sex of these birds because the males, females, and juveniles all look the same. They eat insect and seeds which is ideal as they hop like a lumberjack up and down the big pine trees. Might explain the concerned look on the upper left photo lol…don’t worry Mr. Brown-headed nuthatch I won’t steal your bugs I brought my own hiking snacks 🤣

A is for Anhinga!

 

A is also a great place to start after being steered by migratory and weather patterns of life if you will. But I’m back and boy oh boy has it been a great time for birding this last year! So let’s get our tail feathers in gear for lots of birding fun! Here he is the proud, majestic, slightly anxious at times about the little terms and swallows that fly like little fighter pilots above his head…the male Anhinga drying his wings and admiring the general splendor of my backyard canal in northeast Florida. Anhingas are very similar to the Cormorant but the main identifiable difference is the beak.  The beak on the Cormorant has a hook on the end of the beak but as you can see in the pictures I've provided the Anhinga's beak is straight and thin. The Anhinga is also a bit larger body than the Cormorant.  The males have a black head that matches their bodies. Females have a much lighter or brown neck and head. Their necks are called "snake-like" because when they are going after fish in the water their bodies are not always visible but just their head and neck moving along in the water. This can sometimes be a little scary until you realize it’s just the quirky, peaceful, and sometimes almost charming Anhinga.