Animal Adaptations

We've had a few warm sunny days on the mountain creating a great opportunity for animals to uncover some food they've stored during our snowy weeks. The birds are out and about, especially many of our small, white chested Nuthatches. Something unique about this species of bird is their capability to walk or hop upside down on the bark of a tree. They have a backward pointing claw that allows them to travel downward and because of their short  tail, they won't fall over. This is an amazing adaptation because it allows them to have different vantage points when storing and looking for food; Other birds look upward into crevices for bugs and may not spot them, yet Nuthatches get to see up and downward seeing those bugs others missed. A Nuthatches diet consists of seeds and insects. When storing food, they will find a crack in between bark to place seeds and then cover it up with nearby lichen or other bark to hide safely. This tiny ball of feathers has really surprised us with it's clever skills.