By James Reddoch
I stepped out early to fill the feeders January 1, 2025. No sooner than I dumped fresh, shelled sunflower seeds into the feeder than I heard a rustle of wing feathers and the tin-horn-toot of a red-breasted nuthatch. It practically fell from high in the big white pine at the corner of the house and plunked into the feeder tray. It stared at me with a gimlet eye while I filled a second feeder three feet away. I could hear chickadees and a white-breasted nuthatch calling from the same pine, but they were afraid to come in with me standing so close. The nuthatch flipped through a few hulls, grabbed a plump sunflower seed and with a toot, zipped back to the big pine. Happy New Year to my first bird of the year!
My wife had just read me an article about how some birders take note of the first bird they see in the new year and treat it as a signal of what is to come. I’m not a superstitious person. I see no merit in horoscopes and fortune cookies, nor do I really believe there is truth to be found in pondering what this little bird signals about the year to come. But I’ll play along.
What are my takeaways from seeing a red-breasted nuthatch?
1. Be tough and resilient – be a survivor! Red-breasted nuthatches are one of just a couple of dozen species that stay here in Maine year-round. It weighs less than two quarters and has a high metabolism. Even so, it manages to find enough food and shelter to survive sub-zero temps, buffeting winds, and 15-hour winter nights. It’s a survivor. That is certainly a good role model for life in a changing world.
2. Save for the Bad Times Ahead. One of the strategies that allows this little bird to make it through our tough winters is that it caches food for later. No doubt the sunflower seed this nuthatch plucked from my feeder was tucked safely behind the bark of the pine and saved for later in the winter when food is harder to find. In fact, he was right back at the feeder seconds later retrieving another seed. He will keep this up all day. He’s a good little investor!
3. Stick Together in Tough Times. Nuthatches, chickadees, downy woodpeckers, kinglets, and several other species of birds are often observed traveling in loose, mixed-flocks during the winter. Why? It’s good, adaptive behavior. Sticking with a crowd may provide short-cuts to where food might be found. Also, there is safety in numbers. Hmmm – relying on community might not be a bad idea for us humans, too.
Maybe there are some lessons that I can take from my first bird of the year. I encourage you to pay attention to your first bird of the year. Who knows what you might learn. Most important, join me and the Mahoosuc Land Trust community for upcoming events and programs. It might be just be what you need to get through the cold days ahead. Happy New Year!
Loved this, James! Good reminder to pay attention and look for the lessons all around us. Happy New Year!