Invasion of the Nuthatches
October reports of Red-breasted Nuthatches have birdwatchers predicting an irruption year for this northern species. Red-breasted Nuthatches are a familiar year-round bird to people who live in the northeast and the western US, and a wintering bird over much of the central U.S. In Austin we are just far enough south that we don’t see them every winter. Apparently there was a failure of the cone crop of coniferous trees this year so the birds are having to push further south to find food.
Carolina Chickadee – James Giroux
Look for a small, short-tailed bird about 4-1/2 inches long climbing down a tree trunk or visiting your seed feeder. A first glance may make you think you just have a very odd-looking Carolina Chickadee, since they both have grayish backs and are about the same size, but the head pattern of black and white is different and the nuthatch has a reddish-orange throat and belly compared to the chickadee’s white belly and black chin. A nuthatch bill is long and thin while a chickadee’s is tiny. Keep an ear out for the nuthatch’s nasal yank-yank call that some liken to the sound of a toy horn.
White-breasted Nuthatch – James Giroux
Are there any other possible nuthatches in Travis County? It is much less common for a White-breasted Nuthatch to show up but they do, with a few sightings through the years, not limited to the winter months. The White-breasted Nuthatch is over an inch larger than its Red-breasted cousin, has unstreaked white cheeks, a gray back and a black Mohawk cap. It superficially resembles a chickadee too. These nuthatches also like to climb down and around tree trunks. If you see one of these, take a photo and share with Travis Audubon – the forecast for you would be a flurry of requests from birders wanting to see the bird to add it to their Travis County life lists.
Elegant Hooded Mergansers Coming to a Pond Near You
Hooded Merganser – Jeff Whitlock, The Online Zoo
Every year a few Hooded Mergansers choose Travis County for their winter home. Arriving during November, these small ducks seem to favor small wooded and/or secluded ponds but you also may stumble across them along rivers and larger bodies of freshwater. The male is striking when it raises its black and white crest to court a cinnamon-crested female. Hooded Mergansers are diving ducks, using their serrated bills to catch small fish, aquatic insects and crayfish.
Just like most ducks that are hunted, the mergansers will take flight quickly when startled, so your best chance of seeing them is to walk up to ponds slowly and quietly, staying in the shadows.
’Tis the Season for Turkey
Wild Turkey- Jeff Whitlock, The Online Zoo
One of the best sounds of November is the gobble of wild turkeys which are year-round residents in Travis County. While their numbers are probably declining here due to habitat loss, you might hear them on an early morning visit to either Commons Ford Ranch Metropolitan Park or Reimer’s Ranch, a Travis County park. All the acorns falling from our oak trees this month bode well for fall and winter forage for turkeys and many other bird species.
