![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/red-breasted-nuthatch-6832b-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"red-breasted-nuthatch-6832b-ron-dudley\\"")
<\/p>\nWhy do these nuthatches hang upside down from conifer cones?<\/p>\n
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1\/2000, f\/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n Two weeks ago today I managed to get a few more photos I like of nuthatches foraging for Douglas Fir seeds. Recently I’ve posted several other photos of this behavior so by now it may seem like old hat to my viewers but it isn’t to me. I find the behavior difficult to photograph well and my percent of “keeper” photos is very low so when I get a shot or two that appeal to me I like to show them off.<\/p>\n Besides, who doesn’t<\/em> enjoy seeing these pretty little birds hanging upside down from conifer cones…<\/p>\n They spend most of their time clinging vertically to the sides of the cones while they’re looking for seeds but getting good photos while that’s happening is rare because they’re usually probing into the cones with their bills so we can’t see their face or eye. But it’s a different story when they’re hanging upside down from the cones.<\/p>\n In my experience they seem to hang upside down at different times for two different reasons. They do it after they have a seed in their bill while they’re looking around to see what direction they can safely fly off without hitting any obstructions. That’s what this nuthatch was doing – immediately after my shutter clicked the bird took off with the seed in its bill, probably to cache it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/4000, f\/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n They also hang upside down very soon after landing on the cone and before they’ve found any seeds, apparently to look for potential predators in the area before they’re distracted by their search for seeds. They have to be looking directly into the cone to find the seeds so it would be easy for something like a Cooper’s or Sharp-shinned Hawk to sneak up on them while they’re probing the cones.<\/p>\n Soon after this photo was taken the nuthatch assumed a more “normal” vertical position on the cones, found a seed and then took off with it.<\/p>\n For readers who may be tiring of my photos of nuthatches and chickadees on conifer cones I hope to get more variety in my photos in the coming days. But this stormy weather pattern we’ve been in recently has put the kibosh on my efforts to get out into the field again.<\/p>\n Hopefully we’ll get a break soon.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Why do these nuthatches hang upside down from conifer cones?<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/red-breasted-nuthatch-7033-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"red-breasted-nuthatch-7033-ron-dudley\\"")
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