Here I was this week back in Fauntleroy Park to pull some invasive ivy. The area is off trail in the northern section near the Forest Court SW entrance. Months ago, while working on my cedar tree survey I saw it climbing one of my trees. I yanked it down and vowed to return to get more of it.
So, here I was approaching one of the cedars when I caught some movement on it’s trunk. To my surprise and delight it was a very elusive and quick small bird of the forest – the Brown Creeper. Here is the tree I found this little bird on.
He was moving so fast most of my still photos are a blur. I moved to video mode and had better luck but this little dickens moves upward so fast it was a constant shift. First here is one of my few good still shots.
Wondering what the Brown Creeper is all about? Here is what The “Cornell Lab of Ornithology – All About Birds” website says about them. You can find more by following this link.
Brown Creepers are tiny yet lanky songbirds. They have long, spine-tipped tails, slim bodies, and slender, decurved bills.
Streaked brown and buff above, with their white underparts usually hidden against a tree trunk, Brown Creepers blend easily into bark. Their brownish heads show a broad, buffy stripe over the eye
Brown Creepers search for small insects and spiders by hitching upward in a spiral around tree trunks and limbs. They move with short, jerky motions using their stiff tails for support. To move to a new tree, they fly weakly to its base and resume climbing up. Brown Creepers sing a high, warbling song; they also give a high, wavering call note that sounds similar to that of a Golden-crowned Kinglet.
I leave you with my video of the little rascal as he climbs upward. Be sure to listen to his high pitched call too.
