[obol] Subject: creeper behavior

[Dan Gleason]

In the case of the creeper, it spread its wings which is different  
from what you describe. If the chickadees or nuthatches are really  
completely motionless, not preening, etc. than most likely there is a  
predator somewhere in the area. This often occurs when an accipiter  
is circling overhead. The bird will be alert and watchful but not  
move and give itself away. Sometimes they will very slowly creep to  
the back side of a tree or feeder to be sure they are out of the line  
of sight of the hawk. I have seen Downy Woodpeckers do the same  
thing, remaining completely motionless and pressed against the  
underside of a hanging suet feeder. A bird at rest will usually make  
some head movements, readjust feathers, etc. and not seem to be alert  
with the same level of intensity.

Dan Gleason
-------------
Dan Gleason
dan-gleason at comcast.net
541 345-0450


On Aug 1, 2007, at 9:54 AM, Brandon Green wrote:

>
> I've seen RB and WB Nuthatches, as well as BC Chickadees, decide to  
> "chill out" and remain motionless for 5 min or so without any  
> evidence of anting or sunbathing (i.e., on cloudy days).  Outside  
> of simply resting to conserve energy, I can't think of any other  
> biological reason for this behavior.  This probably has nothing to  
> do with the Brown Creeper behavior described in this thread, but I  
> thought I'd bring it up, as creepers, nuthatches, and chickadees  
> aren't too-distantly related.
>
> Brandon
> Eugene
>
> -----
> Subject: creeper behavior
> From: "Darrel Faxon" <5hats AT peak.org>
> Date: Tue, 31 Jul 2007 18:22:39 -0700
> OBOLites,
>  As I almost never see Brown Creepers at Thornton Creek, Lincoln  
> County during
> the summer months, the one today was remarkable in any respect, but  
> its
> behavior was exceptionally noteworthy. When I first noticed the  
> bird, it was at
> the base of a large alder about forty feet from me, and well below  
> eye level.
> The morning sun was shining directly on the trunk of the tree. The  
> tree leaned
> a bit towards horizontal, rather than being completely straight up  
> and down,
> and about eight feet off the ground where the first limb branched  
> off, there
> was a little pocket whch was a bit more horizontal. As the creeper  
> hitched
> itself up the tree, when it came to this spot, it suddenly spread  
> its wings and
> flattened out against the trunk of the tree. It remained motionless  
> in that
> position for close to a minute. In doing so, the bird itself seemed to
> disappear against the trunk, and all that showed were the two
>  crescent wing
> bars, which took on the appearance of a marking or growth of lichen  
> on the
> tree.
>
>  I would have thought that such an action was taken in response to  
> the presence
> of a predator, except for two things. One, there were a number of  
> other
> creatures nearby that would have assumed defensive measures had a  
> predator been
> nearby, but they went right on with their activities in a normal  
> manner. A
> Willow Flycatcher, Song Sparrow, and Townsend's Chipmunk all were  
> within twenty
> feet of the creeper and showed no signs of alarm. Two, after the  
> creeper
> resumed movement, it worked its way around the back of the alder,  
> came out
> again near the base of the trunk, hitched its way up to the same  
> spot, and
> repeated the performance: wings spread out, body pressed closely to  
> the trunk,
> and motionless. This time it moved its head a bit more, as if  
> preening. Then
> after about 30 seconds, it flew to another tree
>  and went on about its normal
> feeding pattern.
>
>  Has anyone else seen creepers act like this? Any suggestions as to  
> what the
> bird might have been doing? I have two postulations: One is that  
> the bird
> considered me a predator, especially since I was above it on the  
> bank, looking
> down. I rather doubt this idea. The other is that the bird was  
> exposing itself
> to the bright sunlight in response to parasites. This idea seems  
> plausible,
> especially since on both occasions, the activity included what  
> appeared to be
> some brief preening following the spread wing act. In any case, it  
> was very
> interesting, and something I never expected to see.
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