Thanks to my friend and fellow birder, Gillian Richardson, I FINALLY found out what the bird was that I’ve been chasing unsuccessfully all summer! I heard it in the city, I heard it at the lake, and I heard it at Cypress Hills last weekend. It was like it was taunting me! I knew it was a common bird because I’d heard it everywhere, but was never able to get a picture to figure out what it was! When Jill asked me what it sounded like, I told her it was what I thought the offspring of Donald Duck and the Roadrunner would sound like – a cross between a quack and a beep. That didn’t help her. 🙂 So we both kept our ears pealed and late Saturday afternoon we finally heard it! And of course, Jill knew what it was right away – a Red-Breasted Nuthatch. For little birds they certainly have a big voice!

Jill says it’s often called the “yank-yank” bird, because of the sound it makes. So you won’t have to wonder what the heck is making that sound, here’s a clip from the Macaulay Library at Cornell University.

Red-breasted Nuthatch Song