so many hearts

i went out with another birder today, before the beginners class we were slated to help with, to bird a location i used to go to all the time, but had never birded at. we didn't get the "target bird" (louisiana waterthrush) - it probably flew out last night. we did get some of my personal targets though - yellow-bellied sapsuckers, hermit thrushes, and wild turkeys. none of these were lifers, but they are birds i haven't had many times.

but there was one experience we had which prompted me to comment that you can spend all day looking for a rarity, or getting a lifer, and those are exciting, but sometimes you have these other moments that happen that are good enough to call it a day.

we were checking out this one area, and had a few birds, but mostly it was relatively quiet. i heard some white-breasted nuthatches calling, and suddenly this one nuthatch was hopping along a branch and putting itself right in front of us, calling all the way. it turns out that this little dude has been accustomed to being fed peanuts by birders, and was hoping we'd be the kind of birders that have peanuts. we did not, but he tried to convince us that we should, and posed for this photo just a few feet above my head.

i'll be going back.

with peanuts.