Mid-August weather has a feel of early fall, perhaps stirring these small birds to begin seed gathering and filling up on high energy suet...
White-breasted nuthatch digging in the back yard oak tree branch
Red-breasted nuthatch at the upside-down suet feeder
Pygmy nuthatch on branch above feeders
Pygmy nuthach Where there are pygmy nuthatches, there are chickadees, as these small birds often group together
Chestnut-backed chickadee in back yard trees
Red-breasted nuthatch
This looks like a juvenile red-breasted nuthatch
White-breasted nuthatch
Two pygmy nuthatches with seeds
Oak titmouse was shooting in among the nuthatches to grab sunflower seeds.
These small birds unlike finches, cannot crack these seeds with their beaks, and must hold the seed on a strong branch between their feet and chip it open (chickadees, too)
Oak titmouse chipping at sunflower seed held in place with its feet
Red-breasted nuthatch, back yard
White-breasted nuthatch
Red-breasted nuthatch
Their tree-climbing claws curl up and overlap when they sit on thin branches...almost like small woodpecker feet...
Chestnut-backed chickadee, grabbing on the feeder hanger
Red-breasted nuthatch above one of the seed feeders
Overlooking the flurry of nuthatches was a little Anna's hummer
Young house finch pushed out of sunflower feeder by nuthatches, looks like it had been eating berries, too.
Front yard, early morning, the pacific slope flycatcher