Birbs of Saskatchetoon - White-Breasted Nuthatch

I have to admit, I totally would not have spotted this one... OR, if I had, I wouldn't have had a clue what it was or even recognized that it wasn't "just another chicakee up in the tree". It was Amanda. She's the REAL Birder in the family. 

We were getting bikes out of the garage and getting ready to go out when we'd spotted the Downy Woodpeckers and she was still looking up in the tree waiting for me to get MY bike out of the garage when she suddenly got all excited and called me over! "I think that's a White-Breasted Nuthatch!

I took SO MANY pictures trying to get a reasonably good shot of it up in the big Spruce in our back yard - and then chased it around to the front... Alas... crap camera... 

Anyway... Saw the bird.... Identified it... so here are a few illustrations I did to add it to my visual Birb List for the year...

White-Breasted Nuthatch in the Birbs of Saskatchetoon Sketchbook.

White-Breasted Nuthatch  - 20cmx20xm (8'x8"), Ink on Watercolour Paper.

Here are a few of the many, MANY pictures I took trying to capture the Nuthatch. 

I totally coudln't see what Amanda was pointing at, at first, so I was just pointed the camera in the general direction whe was pointing and clicked off pics hoping for the best. Is it in this one? I dont know... Maybe...? 

It was hopping around on the inner branches of the big spruce in our back yard. By this point I might have spotted it, but I can't see shit half the time on that stupid little viewfinder, so I was still pointing it in the general direction of the bird. Is it in this one...? No idea. 

Is it in THIS ONE!? (It is, but you probably have to zoom in and know what you're looking for and even then it's really blurry and quite well camouflaged!)

Same pic, zoomed in. Do you see it now!? 

How about THIS one...? Um... that MIGHT be actually be a chickadee...? 

Chasing it around to the front, it alighted waaaaaaay up in one of the trees on the boulevard... still not able to get really good shots. 

That's a little more identifiable... 

Can you spot it in THIS one!? It's there! 

Here it is! this is actually the one I based the drawing on.. loosely.... 

We spotted one more bird on the 28th! Hopefully I'll get that done tomorrow!