Tree Walkers

This morning about 8AM I saw 2 Downy Woodpeckers on the oak tree near the deck. While watching the Downy Woodpeckers a Brown Creeper appeared on the oak, number 7 if I recall correctly. I was not fully awake and wearing jeans, tee shirt and socks, I grabbed the camera, memory card and battery and walked out on the deck. Still winter this was not the best discussion to be out there in a tee and socks, but I managed to get a few photos of the Downy Woodpecker and the Brown Creeper was on a higher limb and I got 2 photos of it also.

 Here is the Brown Creeper, it is tiny so don't let the photo fool you.  Notice the tail, the feathers are stiff and the creeper uses the tail to help it walk up trees. Creepers almost always spiral their way up trees and rarely(if ever) do they go down the tree. This guy I was hopeful it would check out my suet feeder as it got 3 inches from it and just kept climbing the tree.

Here is the White-breasted Nuthatch, they climb up and down the trees at will. These are very curious and can make a lot of noise. 

Downy Woodpecker a tree walker also. I love watching this small woodpecker edging its way along the tree. See how tiny the bill is? The Hairy Woodpecker looks a lot like the Downy but it is larger and the bill is about 50% longer. Hairy Woodpeckers tend to visit very dead trees and they like to knock off the bark while searching for beetles under the bark.

The other tree walkers we have here not shown are Hairy Woodpecker, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers(winter resident only), Yellow-shafted Flicker, Piliated Woodpecker and rarely during bad winters Red-breasted Nuthatches.

Other small birds like Carolina Chickadee, Carolina Wren and Tufted Titmouse to name a few will once and a while walk a little on the sides of trees too.