My first encounter with a red-breasted nuthatch was a good one. It was the morning of the Christmas bird count and I was woken up by a red-breasted nuthatch pecking at my window while my cat was meowing at it. I jumped out of bed when I saw it, I was so excited, but I guess it saw my movement through the glass because it looked directly at me just before it flew away. It was a great way to start the morning.