The Little Nuthatch — northern flicker

Last weekend while birdwatching I saw two firsts, one was a Northern Gannet, the other a Sora. It's easy for me to have firsts since I haven't been birdwatching seriously (actually IDing birds) for very long. I think I may have been lucky to see the Sora though, as it was really hiding...   Others from the day... Osprey   Northern Flicker   Savannah Sparrow   Wilson's Snipe Red-winged Blackbird   Gorgeous thistles very busy with butterfly and bee action!

From what I'm heard, Asheville's main spot for birdwatching is Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary. A very neat place for birds and other creatures (including lots of ginormous frogs), and there were many of Asheville's resident birds there, including a little nuthatch! (Sadly no photo of the nuthatch though. Flighty little thing.) This last one is a TERRIBLE photo, but this guy was so cool. A Northern Flicker.