N E UK woodland bird ID please (1 Viewer)

2slo

Well-known member

• Jan 3, 2012

• #1

Hi,

As the light failed today I saw this bird climbing vertically down the bark of one of my trees. The two photos show it as it had turned round and was climbing back up. About the size of a blackbird, quite long downward curving thin beak, reddish brown mottled feathers on top, light grey almost white underside. Long forked tail. Feet like a Woodpecker and had a gait similar to a G S Woodpecker. Walked out of sight, I didn't see it fly. I'm guessing it's a Treecreeper from pictures I've been looking at but I'm not sure. Anyone know please?





Thanks,

Mark |=)|

 

myoudale

Well-known member

• Jan 3, 2012

• #2

Looks good for Treecreeper to me

 

2slo

Well-known member

• Jan 3, 2012

• #3

That was fast, thank you!

 

DaveN

Derwent Valley Birder

• Jan 3, 2012

• #4

It's a Treecreeper. Much smaller than a Blackbird .

 

2slo

Well-known member

• Jan 3, 2012

• #5

DaveN said:

It's a Treecreeper. Much smaller than a Blackbird .

Click to expand...

Thanks, blackbird size was my best guess in the poor light.

 

driverpaul

The Trent Birder

• Jan 3, 2012

• #6

2slo said:

Thanks, blackbird size was my best guess in the poor light.

Click to expand...

This is a tree creeper it's unusual that your bird was climbing vertically 'down' I've only seen them going up...

Not totally unheard of I expect but interesting to hear if anyone else has observed this..

Paul

 

2slo

Well-known member

• Jan 3, 2012

• #7

driverpaul said:

This is a tree creeper it's unusual that your bird was climbing vertically 'down' I've only seen them going up...

Not totally unheard of I expect but interesting to hear if anyone else has observed this..

Paul

Click to expand...

Definately heading down when I saw it first. It stopped a couple of times and either tapped or pecked the tree. Not surprising since our resident Nuthatches and Tits have been hiding sunflower seeds in cracks in the bark. I regularly update this thread (with pics) on the birds which I see in my garden if anyone would like to see:

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=217171

Mark |=)|

 

steve_zodiac

Well-known member

• Jan 4, 2012

• #8

driverpaul said:

This is a tree creeper it's unusual that your bird was climbing vertically 'down' I've only seen them going up...

Not totally unheard of I expect but interesting to hear if anyone else has observed this..

Paul

Click to expand...

Obviously freakish behaviour, isn't the Nuthatch the only bird that can usually move vertically down a tree trunk?

 

F

fugl

Well-known member

• Jan 4, 2012

• #9

An interesting thread. Here's the BNA-online account of treecreeper locomotion. As you can see, it leaves the door open for head-down movement (at least for the American species), but provides no specifics.

"Hops head up along vertical tree trunks, with legs held on either side of its body. During hops, feet move in unison; head and anterior part of body are directed upward and toward tree trunk, so head ducks after each hop (Richardson 1942). Tail serves as a prop at all times except for a moment during each hop or when bird on limb. Relatively short legs, long tail, and long toes and claws are adaptations to trunk foraging. Nearly always climbs upward. In morphological studies of Eurasian Treecreeper, long, curved claws, long toes, short legs, and long tail make it highly adapted to climbing in a head-up direction (Norberg 1979). Foreclaws apparently do not grasp the bark but rather hook onto bark irregularities. Long hindclaws serve to reduce forces between the feet and trunk when tail is not used for support, and to hook onto bark irregularities (Norberg 1986)."

 

2slo

Well-known member

• Jan 4, 2012

• #10

I wish I'd photographed it when I first saw it going downwards, sounds as though that could have been a shot worth having! I've looked for it today but no show sadly. Not surprising really, it's blowing a gale here!

 

S

Squonk

Major dude

• Jan 4, 2012

• #11

A few years ago I watched a (Eurasian) Treecreeper on a tree that had been blown over by recent gales. As the tree was on a riverbank and had toppled towards the river, the former 'top' of the tree was now below the level of the base. I was very interested to see that the treecreeper still moved 'up' the tree from the point of view of the bark, even though this was now 'down' with respect to the earth / gravity.