Red Breasted Nuthatch

These pictures were taken on April 13th, 2009 in our back yard. In an attempt to keep predators out of their nest, they gather sticky conifer resin or pitch and place it at the entrance of their nest. The male does the outside while the female does the inside, sometimes using a piece of bark as an applicator. To avoid the pitch, the nuthatch dives straight through the hole rather than land on the pitch.