Today we were visited by a Brown Creeper- not a rare bird, but not too common either. This is the first one in our yard. It spent a lot of time searching for, and gleaning, insects and spiders from the crevices in the bark of ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa), and hawthorn (Crataegus douglasii), and visited the suet feeder where I took this picture. They are pretty easy to approach, and picture, their main defence is their camouflage, and when spotted they usually freeze and let their cryptic plumage do the rest.This was a really exciting addition to the fauna of our back yard- it has been a couple of years since we've had a new species. I suspect this one will not stay long- they prefer mature forests- and it is probably in the middle of its seasonal migration, if only a change in elevation.
Well David, if you build it, they will come! Sounds like your back yard is becoming the roadside attraction for the travellers... Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHow kind of him to creep over when you were home from work! Thanks for the introduction to this bird.
ReplyDeleteThis 'brown creeper' closely resembles one of the usual guests in our garden: the 'boomkruiper' (tree-creeper), Certhia brachydactyla. I wouldn't be surprised if your creeper is a Certhia sp. too...
ReplyDeleteAnne,
ReplyDeleteYou are exactly right, the brown creeper we have is "Certhia americana". Perhaps I'll start using Latin binomials for birds, too.
Bedankt voor uw opmerkingen.
Ik zal u laten weten wat er bloeiende hier. Happy eerste dag van de lente!
David
I enjoy spring and fall viewing, for the glimpses of migrating birds. It's satisfying to give them a respite on their journey, and interesting to see the variety. It's especially fun to see what attracts them, and note their habits.
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