Brown Creeper! 3/24/2023

I have three birding goals for 2023 in this area, and they are to see a Brown Creeper and learn their song, to witness a Pileated Woodpecker feeding it's young, and to see a Bluegray Gnatcatcher and also learn its song. A nest would be nice with the latter bird, but I am not pushing my luck. I went birding locally this past Friday and while hiking in the woods, I heard a very high, sweet song that was almost like a Chickadee song. My Merlin app identified it as a Brown Creeper! I followed the sound around as I walked the trail and there were at least three. Finally I spotted one singing on the trunk of a tree about 20 feet up and it was MUCH smaller than I thought it would be and incredibly camouflaged against the tree. No wonder I never spotted one before! I will have to get much better at bird song to see these again and also to see the Gnatcatcher.

My day wasn't done, though, as I also spotted a beautiful male Pileated Woodpecker hard at work excavating a nesting hole. Usually the male does most of the work in the beginning and the female begins helping towards the end of the process. The pair usually stays in the same area year round, but they build a new nest each time. It is a very popular area with lots of human activity, so I hope people are kind and the woodpeckers stick around to raise a successful brood. I will check in with them in a couple of weeks!