Walking in the Ponderosa Pine forest, I see many birds. During this fall season I am seeing and hearing many little birds, including Pygmy Nuthatches, Dark-Eyed Juncos, and Mountain Chickadees.
Pygmy nuthatches are the smallest of the nuthatch birds. They are extremely agile and will climb up the tree trunk, turn around and climb down. They will also hang upside down with their back to the ground.
Dark-eyed juncos are part of the sparrow family of birds, there are many subspecies of this little bird. In North America, there are Gray-Headed, Oregon, and Pink-Sided, Slate-Colored and White-Winged Juncos. They all have distinct white outer tail feathers.
Mountain chickadees are tiny perching birds weighing only half an ounce. They are usually found in high elevation mountain forest areas.
Here are a some photos of these birds. Other birds I find among the Ponderosa’s in my area are the Northern Flicker, Stellar’s Jay, Red-Tailed Hawk, Pine Siskin, and Common Raven.
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