Western Stone Nuthatch

As Floy has mentioned we have been away for about three weeks. Our trip through Southern Turkey was not a birding expedition, but I did what I could in the way of bird photography much to the chagrin of our fellow travelers. I tried not to hold up the group, but sometimes it was not easy.

Wherever we went that had stone ruins we would hear this strange call that sounded vaguely like a Canyon Wren. It took awhile to locate the source, but eventually I found it usually perched on the top of an ancient structure. It has big powerful claws and hangs vertically, high on stone faces. Meet the Western Stone Nuthatch found in a relatively narrow band from Croatia east to Iran.

Unfortunately I did not have my usual birding camera, so this photo will have to do.