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Tree-creeper

 

 

Tree-creepers are mostly sedentary birds in Estonia. Very rarely we see them in action on the ground or moving on the thinner branches of trees. We can meet them in quite different kinds of forest, in parks and old cemeteries.

 

All their actions and behaviour are noticeably individualistic. They fly up into tree crowns, move in a spiral from the lower part of the trunk and upwards, carefully checking bark crevices and hiding-places in the lichens on the trunks, to find hibernating  invertebrates and insects. One tree checked they make a higher "leap“ and land in the lower part of the next tree trunk and all is repeated with the same care.

 

With the aid of the long, curved beak the activity seems quite efficient. The upper part of the beak is dark brown, the lower half reddish. Moving on the trunk the tree-creeper leans similar to woodpeckers on its tail that is rigid and with a sharp tip. The back plumage is brown, flecked in black, yellow and white; eyebrow streak white as the underparts. Identification is no problem. It seems that the snowy white chest plumage is used to reflect light on examining crevices in the bark. Interesting birds.

 

In winter they keep company with tits and their numbers at this time is estimated to be at least a couple of hundred thousand individuals.

 

Tree-creeper observations: LINK