At Eastport, Maine, on the morning of May 19, 1833, “much ice still remained on the northern exposures.” Yet John James Audubon watched at least one bird deciding that the conditions were just right for nest building. To better protect their nest from drops in temperature, the Red-breasted nuthatch is known to seek dead and decaying trees to dig holes as deep as 14 inches in which to place their nest. Another close encounter that Audubon had with a Red-breasted nuthatch occurred during a crossing of the Atlantic. The ship was about 300 miles from land and getting tossed about by a severe storm. Whatever course the Red-breasted nuthatch was taking, it crossed with the ship which gave the nuthatch the chance to alight in the ship’s rigging and wait out the storm. Audubon was able to rally the ship’s crew to help him catch the bird and place it in a cage. Conditions on board were such that black flies could be caught and fed to the nuthatch along with small pieces of cheese. Despite the efforts of Audubon and the crew, the nuthatch “refused to touch them, generally sitting in the bottom of the cage with its head under its wing, and it died in the course of the night.” Audubon dissected the bird and found the bird’s stomach completely empty. What could be called wildlife and avoiding life in captivity could be no better defined than by the spirit of the Red-breasted nuthatch.
Plate 105 – Red-breasted Nuthatch
Plate 105 of the first edition of "Birds of America" by John James Audubon.