The Spotted nutcracker (Nucifraga caryocatactes) is a typical bird of the alpine forest and feeds on the nuts of the Swiss stone pine or other conifers. They are also very fond of nuts and so we always take lots of nuts with us whenever we visit the Engadina in Switzerland where we know a habitat of a rather large population.
We are not the greatest bird photographers, mostly because we don’t mind waiting for the light for landscape photos but are not patient enough to wait in a hide for a bird. Well, you don’t have to be a jack of all trades and so we appreciate the moments with wildlife when we come across it very much.
The nutcrackers were around within minutes after we arrived in the forest and we put the nuts on a tree trunk. Soon, the older birds came down to grab the delicious food, closely followed by their young. The young birds, though grown up, were still begging for food! Nutcrackers are not social birds and we could also observe some fighting action for the best nut, even among parents and their young. I will show a few of these scenes later this week.
So for now, I hope you enjoy three non-action shots of the wonderful nutcracker – a real beauty!
Hello, I’m Sandra – a passionate landscape photographer and solo globetrotter. In this blog I show my best landscape, nature and travel photos which have been taken during my travels around the world. I shared my passion for travel and photography with my late husband Gerd until 2018, whom I now take with me in my heart to every place I visit. Please also view my trip reports on my website Sandra Schänzer travelogues and photo galleries.
Lovely bird. I especially like the middle image. A friend of mine is famous (?) for having his photo taken with a Nutcracker perched on his head, where, strangely it had found a nut!!!! Try that with Gerd next time.
Although birds are not my favorite subject, #2 is a beauty 😉
Thanks, Kristel 🙂
All nice shots and I also like number two the most. Having the floating flakes really adds a lot too. 🙂
I’ve never seen a Nutcracker. These are wonderful photos!