Treecreeper

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 I went for a walk in the snow yesterday afternoon along the old railway track towards Smardale and saw a tree creeper. I didn't have my camera with me but have a photograph from a few years ago.  We occasionally get these in the orchard but they are shy birds and comb tree bark for insects so don't come to bird feeders.


Like nuthatches these birds have two toes pointing forwards and two backwards. Unlike nuthatches tree creepers can't walk headfirst down a tree but shuffle down in a series of hops using their tail feathers to brace themselves. They nest behind loose pieces of bark. These are unobtrusive birds; in some parts of the country they are known as the "tree mouse". Treecreepers are solitary and tend to stay in a territory without moving far. If disturbed they "freeze" and are well camouflaged against the bark of the tree, or they hide on the other side of the tree!

Diary Notes
Very cold minus 7 C overnight. A wonderful calm and sunny day today. I disturbed a woodcock in our bog meadow yesterday in an are that hadn't  frozen. An overnight trail camera in that are failed to produce anything. Trail cams in other areas got some good shots of deer.

It has been so warm in the sun that the comatose butterfly in the porch briefly opened its wings ( and then went back to sleep)






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