Are other Kentuckians seeing Red-breasted Nuthatches now? The three Locations I
had them were just one day events so maybe still moving South. Also is there a
better way to keep up with the posts here on bird Ky other than the ABA dot
org site? Since they “updated” it one can no longer put individual states on a
bookmark and have it work that way. It takes you back to recent posts from all
areas if the country first then one had to put Kentucky in and it is very
glitchy about switching to that also, especially where reception is not good.
One reason I have not been checking if nearly as much as I used to.
Frank Renfrow
Fort Thomas
From: Frank Renfrow <frankrenfrow@xxxxxxx>
Date: August 31, 2022 at 1:22:21 PM EDT
To: birdky@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Fwd: Campbell County Red-breasted Nuthatch
Well August is not yet over and I have yet another Red-breasted Nuthatch,
this time at a Campbell County Cemetery today. And speaking of Scots Pines,
that is what it was in! But instead of going after pine seeds it was spending
most of the time gobbling down the ants it was finding on the branches. It
was very disheveled with conifer sap residue probably from earlier nesting up
north most likely. They usually are in the many Norway Spruces more than the
Scots pines at this cemetery but the cone crop is not particularly good on
those here this year.
Frank Renfrow
Fort Thomas
Begin forwarded message:
From: Frank Renfrow <frankrenfrow@xxxxxxx>
Date: August 30, 2022 at 8:30:54 PM EDT
To: birdky@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: Campbell County Red-breasted Nuthatch
Reply-To: Frank Renfrow <frankrenfrow@xxxxxxx>
To follow up on Preston's comment, yes that sounds like great habitat for
them, and keep an eye out for Brown-headed Nuthatches in those Loblollies as
well!. They especially like the White Pines when they have a cone crop every
other year usually and and usually they start opening and dropping their
seeds even as early as the late summer. The Red-breasted Nuthatch I was
watching in SW Ohio the other day was causing the seeds to fall out of the
cones quite rapidly. They also can be found in Loblollies when wintering in
the south, and also in the Scots Pines at parks and cemeteries etc. I also
find Shortleaf Pine is another favorite of theirs. The Scots pines are very
similar to our Virginia Pines which they also like as well.
And yes Ronan I was just meaning my first personal record for this early in
Kentucky, I was aware there have been some earlier late August Kentucky
records away from Wolfe County. What is extraordinary here is these are not
just outlier or one-off sightings, at least in Ohio, I have seen at least a
dozen or so have been reporting them during this last week or so of August
which I cannot recall seeing before. And I have been able to follow up and
find them pretty easily now. My earliest personal record for SW Ohio was
August 29 for a group of three.
Frank Renfrow
Fort Thomas
-----Original Message-----
From: Frank Renfrow <frankrenfrow@xxxxxxx>
To: birdky@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Tue, Aug 30, 2022 12:33 pm
Subject: Campbell County Red-breasted Nuthatch
There has been an early wave of Red-breasted Nuthatches that we have been
seeing the past few days in Southwestern Ohio, many at locations with White
Pine loaded with this year’s new cones. I checked out the pine areas at AJ
Jolly Park at Campbell County and sure enough I found one there in the
White Pines. This being August 30, I think this may be my first August
record in Kentucky away from the Wolfe County breeding area. It will be
interesting to see if this portends a good winter incursion or possibly it
may not. One never can tell…
Frank Renfrow
Fort Thomas
