Cutest feeder bird?

The weather has turned and the feeders are fast becoming THE place to be, at least for our year-round birds. Black-capped chickadees, house finches, goldfinches, downy woodpecker, cardinal, blue jays, juncos and my personal favorite---the White Breasted Nuthatch.

Granted, the photo isn't as sharp as I'd like. No matter. I was shooting through heavy fog this morning, my butt parked on a frosty wrought iron deck chair. I do believe that the fog is what allowed me to get my shot at all. Unlike their usual "snatch and fly" habit, this one sat and watched the large, sentient being from a distance, judging the threat to its newly snatched millet seed.

I realized that the calls the nuthatch was making were soft contact calls, and after getting some photos, unstuck myself from the chair and investigated. Sure enough, just around the corner of the house were three nuthatches, chatting away and working the trunk of a tree.

I'm not sure just what it is about nuthatches; is it their "mini-penguin" appearance, the jaunty angle at which they observe us or the entertainment they provide as they crawl headfirst, like avian daredevils, down the trunk of a tree? Whatever it is, I hope they will grace my birdfeeder tables throughout this winter to come.