"Nuthatch"

 

You can always see when I try too hard to get it right, especially when it comes to complicated critters like birds. Knowing how picky ornithologically inclined folks can be (ie your basic birder) I'll sometimes go out of my way and make an effort at drawing them at least a little more realistically than the usual menagerie. I'm also inspired by a returning pair of Red-breasted Nuthatches that hang out around our cabin feeders - evidence that their northern range has been extended beyond most maps. They routinely buzz right past my head when out on the deck, giving adorable little warbling chirps as they pulse through the boreal woods on bombing runs back & forth to stash their caches. One of teh few things that actually makes me smile to see and hear, joining along with the usual crew of chickadees (both Black-capped + Boreal), woodpeckers, gray jays and grosbeaks.