If you're a birder or backyard birdwatcher, you're probably well aware that Red-breasted Nuthatches (Sitta canadensis) have irrupted this fall and are seemingly everywhere. An avian irruption is a sudden surge of birds, usually during fall migration, for reasons that vary from species to species. Irruptions are generally driven by the availability of food; if there's a poor seed crop or cone crop, certain passerines (songbirds) will head south for greener pastures.
To my delight, I have several of these little winged marvels coming to a small dish I fill each morning with sunflower chips. By the end of the day it's usually empty, though I don't think every morsel is being eaten ― nuthatches are notorious for caching food. Should regular sources run out during winter, the birds will find seeds they've hidden away.
Whether or not they remember where each and every one is stored is uncertain ― it might just be that they retrace familiar areas and adopt foraging behavior and happen upon them. Biologically speaking, we do know that some birds increase the size of their brains in areas associated with memory during fall caching. So, maybe they do remember each one. If so, that'd be pretty darn impressive!
Whatever the case may be, I certainly hope that the nuthatches coming to my patio will breakup the long winter doldrums that are coming. Sometimes it's nice just to sit in a chair and table close to my patio, work on my laptop and occasionally glance up to see the nuthatches plucking sunflower chips from the dish.
All images © 2020 Mike McDowell