sitta (nuthatch) pusilla (very small)
Thursday, June 23, 1988 — 7:40 am
Crossett, Arkansas — Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge
Ruth and Bob , refuge biologists, had shown me the Red-cockaded Woodpeckers by appointment. As we were watching them, Bob mentioned the calls of Brown-headed Nuthatches in the pines about 40 feet away. When the biologists left, I went looking for the nuthatches. I walked around the area for a half hour or so before I finally got a good, close look. They were very near the tree where I had seen the woodpeckers.
The Brown-headed Nuthatches usually stayed 30 feet or more up in the pines, foraging on the trunk and branches in typical nuthatch fashion. One flew down into a short pine for about 30 seconds, then flew back up.