Brown Creeper Outside the Visitor Center

A Brown Creeper (Certhia americana) was spotted inching up the trunk of a tree outside the Visitor Center.

These tiny songbirds are most commonly seen around the Sanctuary during winter, though spotting them may be difficult as their cryptic mottled plumage allows them to blend seamlessly into the bark of trees. Brown creepers hop up the trunks of trees, using their long, stiff tails to steady themselves as they forage. They share a similar feeding strategy to nuthatches in that they “creep” up the trunks of trees, plucking insects from furrows in the bark with their long, curved bill. In the winter, when there are less insects available, they may visit seed or suet feeders. 

Photo by Bill Moses, taken at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary.