Red-breasted Nuthatch

October brought this fall season's first Red-breasted Nuthatch to the banding station. I last banded one of these nuthatches on 7 June. I have previously lectured on the dangers of misinterpreting Red-breasted Nuthatch summer records. In Minnesota, the species breeds in the Northeast, south to Minneapolis/St. Paul. Nevertheless, by October, this nomadic invader from the northwoods is a harbinger of the winter to come.