The Sounds of Fall

Yesterday, I was letting the dogs out after work when I heard a bird call that I haven't heard in awhile. It sounded like a nasal laughing, but not the usual kind that Ohioans have become so accustomed to (courtesy of the adorable little White-Breasted Nuthatches which are quite commn around here). This was a slightly higher pitch. I couldn't find the source, but I was absolutely positive I was hearing the smaller version, with slightly different markings, the Red-Breasted Nuthatch. I have seen these only a few times, they prefer coolere weather and so they nest north of here. But in the fall, they come down for the slightly warmer winters. It was nice to hear it even if I didn't see it. If you put out suet or sunflowe/safflower, you might get a glimpse of this little guy, looks about like a chickadee, but with a white eye stripe and the black comes lower on the head, also a very slightly reddish wash on the belly (where it got it's name). One way you can be 100% certain that it is a nuthatch you are looking at is that these are the only birds that walk down a tree trunk Face First. All others, if they walk down the trunk, do it tail first.